Eternal Rendering
by Rikonas
Summary: A teen is forced home to take over for his father but, within a short time, events unfold that will change his & nine other peoples lives forever...Note: I wasn't satisfied with how I had ended the story before so I am continuing the story whenever I can.
1. Avian Protector

**Chapter 1: Avian ****Protector**

**???'s P.O.V**

The machine whirred, I looked at the opening at the bottom waiting for my drink to pop out. Nothing……

"Damn machine!" I shouted as I punched the infernal drink dispenser. A small 'BANG' indicated that my drink had finally come out. As I picked it up I noticed that several people were staring at my fist. I looked down & noticed that it was surrounded by crackling electricity. Not again...that's the 4th time this week that this has happened & it's not even Wednesday. I picked up my drink only to let some of the electricity into the machine which then caused the machine to pop out more & more drinks. I picked up another one of the never ending supply of drinks & pocketed them both then proceeding to leave as fast as I could. I could feel the eyes on me as I left, as if I wasn't inconspicuous enough with my purple eyes, red hair & my feathered ankle bracelets.

While walking down the road I noticed a purple haired girl walking into a nearby rave club, nothing weird about that, people in this area of all ages (as long as they were 13+) went into those clubs, what is weird about that was the simple fact that there were two guys eyeing her intently & as soon as she proceeded in they followed. 'Course me being the 'upstanding' citizen I am I followed. As I thought the eyes of those two never left the girl & were hungry with desire, the girl was oblivious to this of course talking to some guy who was with some other girl, tears were coming from her eyes. Then she stormed out, & as if on cue the two guys followed smiling. Ugh! What is with creeps like those two?

I left quickly, noticing the one of the two turning the corner to my left I followed. Then after several more blocks their pace picked up, the girl had finally noticed her followers. After another block or two they turned….right into an alley.

"Hey, girlie." The one guy cooed, the other snickered. "We heard about that little spat with that guy & we decided we'll comfort you".

"Back off creeps!" The girl shouted but with no one else around & her voice still cracked from the tears it wasn't very intimidating if at all. The one man wearing a white vest & torn jeans moved towards her.

"You keep watch, ok?" The other wearing a red jacket & torn slacks nodded & turned spotting me, to my surprise he snarled. At this point the other turned too & saw me.

"Go away if you don't wanna be hurt, boy!" He barked.

"Sure, sure but first let her go home" I gestured towards the girl, who looked at my red hair with awe. At which point the guy in red lunged. I weaved past him bringing my hands down on his back, kicking him away when he landed. He got back up & after shaking his head lunged again, I grabbed his shirt.

"That…didn't…work…the…first…time…idiot!" I punched each word into his head that last with an uppercut. This time he didn't get up, I could hear his pulse though, it was beating faster than a human on adrenaline, meaning he was alive, but far from normal like me. Did I mention I'm only ever so slightly normal?

The other guy glared at his unconscious companion & then back at me. He sighed "For a half-vampire he wasn't very reliable…" That explains the upped pulse. "I guess I'll have to kill you then"

He walked forward till he was about five or six paces from me then hunched over. I braced myself for whatever he was planning, then to my surprised he started to _change_. First his nose turned into a muzzle, then his hands became clawed, his slacks ripped & became shorts, his teeth to fangs, his shoes shredded. I was now staring at a grey human sized wolf & it only took a second"

"So you're a Zeonthrope then?" I questioned. He barked a laughed or what sounded like a laugh. "I guess I don't stand a chance…" That's when he leaped! I jumped out of the way then gave him a good kick to the ribs. "But you see, if I can take on a half-vampire then that means I'm not altogether human, am I dumbass?" He snarled at me then leaped again & I jumped again this time near his little buddy, I picked him up & threw him at the oversized mutt, making him fall flat on his ass.

"You're not the only one with a 'primal' side here, moron!" I taunted. "Now, take a look at something truly fearsome!" I began to change. I felt the wings come out of my back, my hands & feet turn to talons, feathers sprout all over my body. & my mouth finally becoming a beak. Fortunately, my clothes weren't ruined like that morons. I shot electricity at him & he shivered & shook it off along with his unconscious ally who after that shock finally was starting to come around.

"Damn, increased bioelectric current!!" I thought to myself. Oh yeah, Zeonthropes can't talk in their beast form without some sort of communication device or genetic engineering…or hardcore training lessons for it.

I jumped into the air & flapped my wings. No manoeuvrability in an alley but hey, at least he can't reach me up here. I dive bombed into him launching punches with my right & clawing with my left. Ahh, the savageries of being a Phoenix, gotta love it. His friend seeing what was happening ran off into the semi sunlit streets. I flipped old wolf boy over me & threw him at the dumpster. He got up whimpered & while running away morphed back into his human form. I proceeded to do the same except, of course, without the running.

"And don't come back!" I shouted turning around, the girl was still there wide-eyed & open mouthed. "You're okay, right?" I asked. She nodded & I pulled out a drink & handed it to her, taking the other out for myself. "Be careful, they might be shaken" I laughed & walked with her out of the alley.

"My name's Zephyren Feral" I said as we emerged on the twilit sidewalk. "I'll escort you home so those guy's don't come around again"

"My name's Keira" She said "I….don't have a home anymore" she hung her head & started to cry, her drink unopened. I opened the pop I had which fizzed a little then handed it to her & took hers.

"Drink up, you'll feel a bit better trust me." I urged. "As for a home, I think I have just the solution to your problem" I nodded over to a silver haired man in a red duster & tan pants walking towards us.

"Good afternoon, my liege" the man spoke "I've finally found you" He bowed in front of us, I rolled my eyes "Are you finally coming home?"

I sighed. "I am cause it seems you aren't gonna give me much of a choice this time, are you Xion?"

He smiled then withdrew the blade protruding from his arm. "You are correct, your father has passed on, time for you to come back"

**CHAPTER 1 END**


	2. To Eternia & Beyond!

**Chapter 2: To Eternia & Beyond!!**

**Xion's P.O.V**

I held my hand to my ear."Kratos, I've picked up the Phoenix." I heard Zephyren sigh behind me, I turned around to meet his gaze. His eyes showed no sign of anticipation to returning to his home, or even sadness for his father's passing.

"I'll be there soon & Xion remember what I told you" I heard Kratos tell me.

"Yes, I know……over & out" I took out my earpiece & pocketed it.

"So, how long till he arrives?" Zephyren questioned impatiently.

"Only a couple of minutes, my lord" I answered & saw him glare at me when I finished the sentence.

"You know I hate being called that" He snapped, he drank the rest of his drink & threw it angrily into the nearby garbage disposal.

"Umm……where are we headed exactly?" The girl supposedly named Keira asked.

"To Eternia Academy a place where different-"

"A place for you to stay" Zephyren interrupted. He looked up his eyes seeming to focus on something in the distant sky. "About time he got here" he said sarcastically. "Kratos knows how impatient I can get if I have to wait too long" Then I turned noticing Kratos landing behind me as silent as ever. His blue transparent wings disappearing.

"Greetings, Mr. Feral" He said brushing his red hair out of his eyes. "You don't seem too pleased to see me" He sighed.

"You're damn right I'm not" Zephyren snarled. "You know as well as Xion that I'd rather not go back to Eternia at all!"

"I know but unfortunately current circumstances require your presence" He looked up as it had started to rain. I noticed that every drop that dropped near Zephyren evaporated into steam, he must be really furious. Zephyren sighed again & lowered his head in defeat.

"Keira take Kratos' hand…" He gestured towards Kratos, she looked at Zephyren who gave her a reassuring nod then walked over & took his hand. I took the other & Zephyren took my free hand it was scorching hot…like touching a red hot poker, but I said nothing.

"Kratos" I began as he closed his eyes to concentrate, his wings reappearing.

"Hmm?"

"You could have been less conspicuous instead of wearing that purple uniform." I paused" Oh, & that warning you gave me…" I noticed Keira looking at Kratos' wings surprised that they were see through I guess.

"Yes?" He didn't seem to notice Keira's gaze.

"Umm, let me put it this way." I glanced at Zephyren quickly who was smirking. "I feel the burn right now" Kratos glanced at my hand which was smoking as much Zephyren was even though we were standing in the middle of the rain.

"Zephyren" Kratos began. "I know you are angry but must you burn Xion?"

"At least I'm keeping half of him dry" He replied sarcastically "Let's just get going so I don't keep burning him, okay?" He was angry, obviously, but still I could tell his next words were truthful. "You know I can't control this outside of my Phoenix form."

"Very well" Kratos replied smirking. I really wanted to hit that stupid little prince right now, taking pleasure in burning me & not being able to do anything is incredibly inconvenient. Then I could feel my body being pulled, my soaked hair whipped into my face like…well, like whips & then as suddenly as it began, it ended.

"Woah!" Keira gasped. "What was that! I saw the road & then suddenly I felt something pull & then we were here in this field!" She turned around & stumbled falling on her rear. "What is that?!" She yelled pointed at the enormous building in front of her as two students walked by.

"Heh, new girl" I heard one of them say & the other laughed.

Zephyren walked over & helped her onto her feet. I could see the despair in his eyes this time. Not for his father though, but instead because of the return to his birthplace & homeland. "This is Eternia Academy, my home" he snarled the last word. "A place where all people who are _different_ live & are taught" He continued "It also lies on a time-space dimensional rift" He started to lead her to the building, Kratos was already at the steps gesturing for them to follow.

"Xion!" I turned to see Alice a Zeonthrope running well, more like jumping towards me "It's good to see you back!" She gave me a hug, after my little problem she was the first to accept me despite my fatal error & has treated pretty much like a brother of sorts.

"Glad to see you too" I replied as she released me.

"Come on I want to show you something" She gestured for me to follow & I did.

**Zephyren's P.O.V**

Eternia Academy…ugh! Why do I have to come back here! Why couldn't the old man have another heir? WHY? Anyways, as Kratos lead us into the main hall & into the 'Instructor's Office' he told us where we'd be staying, to my surprise Keira insisted on staying in the same room as me & since my room could fit about 12 rooms in it she was allowed, I didn't care I was still pissed about being brought back.

"Oh & Zephyren, you'll be pleased to know that your father's funeral has already passed" YES!! "And we'll be going along with the traditional end summer tournament." He smiled "Would you like to participate?"

"Of course! I mean do you even have to ask?" I said giddily feeling my anger dissipate at once. Fighting's a great stress reliever especially if you know there's going to be some competition. "When does it start?" I asked

"The day after tomorrow" He was smiling, glad that my mood had changed I guess.

"Great, that means plenty of time to scout the competition & train some myself." I looked at Keira "Oh, could you give her the tour Kratos? I don't trust anyone else to do it"

"If you wish" He sighed probably knowing I was going to ask him that.

"Thanks" As I walked out of the office I shouted "WAAAAAAHOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

**CHAPTER 2 END**


	3. Old Friends, Death & Stupidity

**Chapter 3: Old Friends, Death, & Stupidity**

**Keira's P.O.V**

Kratos had given me a tour of the place shortly after Zephyren left.

The first stop was the cafeteria. There was a major assortment of people, piling down the hall into different doors.

"The cafeteria section of Eternia has several portions…" He gestured down the small hall piling with people. "Each section is made for each particular race &-"

"Wait a minute" I looked at him. "A section for each race? What do you mean?"

"I guess Xion never explained" He sighed. "It can't be helped I guess" He continued. "Eternia Academy is a school made for those who don't fit in with normal society or have been shunned from their community" He gestured to a boy walking by. "The students are categorized into multiple categories: Humans, Werewolves, Vampires, Nekos/Anthros, Angels, Demons, Archangels, & Zeonthropes." He ticked them off on his fingers. "Each individual is put into one of these categories & then is roomed up with someone who can helped them increase their abilities…" He lead me down the hall more to show me the dormitories. "You have already been clarified as a Zeonthrope & having been paired with Zephyren..." He drifted off."You should have no problem although, you are the first two without a blood relation to be paired together" He sighed as someone in the hall yelled at a nearby kid for touching the wet paint in his room.

"Wait, I am a Zeonthrope?" I felt my eyes widen. "How? I can't change into an animal!" I heard myself nearly shout.

"That is because you haven't tapped I into your potential yet" He took a left & opened the door at the very end of the hall. "This will be your room" The room was humongous!! It was as tall like two whole houses put into one, A guy was setting up another queen sized bed into the room & putting up a curtain, probably for where I'd sleep.

"Come, there is more to cover & as I was saying if you tapped into your potential you could-" He continued I was listening to him intently. Next time, I'd be the one protecting Zephyren.

**Zephyren's P.O.V**

I immediately ran to my to grab my blades when I left the office, then after I gathered them I head to the sparring arena. Never have I seen this many people in this place before, tournament or not, must be someone to beat in this one I guess. When I entered the nearby guard came & kneeled, I sighed telling him to rise & to tell the other guards that if anyone tries any formalities with me I would tan their hides. He nodded & ran off as fast as he could, I turned back to the people & noticed they were all staring at me with weapons ready, one guy was with a wolf, they were charging towards me!

"Zephyren!" The wolf said jumping on me licking my cheek, did I forget to mention that this wolf was in clothes? The guy was standing over me laughing. The wolf was changing into a human & the licks turned to kisses.

"Okay, Melissa get off of him" The guy chuckled running a hand through his bronze coloured hair. "Besides, I don't think Zephyren appreciates your failed attempts at making out with him"

"Bleh!" I wiped off my face & got up when Melissa got off of me, then I gave her a kiss on the cheek (she blushed when I did!) & gave the guy a punch on the arm.

"Raziel!! I was not trying to do that! Besides, the wolf side got the better of me" She matted down her clothes.

"You say that whenever you try to do something intimate with Zephyren" He sighed.

"Why did you dye your hair 'Lissa?" I asked using the old kiddy nicknamed making her blush again.

"Needed a change, I don't like being a complete twin to Zee here" She ran her hand through her hair.

"Well, when one's a Werewolf & the other is a Vampire…" I smiled. "I don't think you can get any different"

We walked down to where everyone was fighting (thankfully they had resumed whatever they were doing) & I learned I was a hot topic at the school due to the fact that everyone had heard about Xion being sent out to look for me.

"That explains why everyone is looking at me from the corner of their eyes" I glanced over to the student practicing his Elemental abilities & I noticed his eyes go back to the earth in front of him, he had brown cat-like ears & a brown tail, a Neko. "So, what have you two been doing while I was gone?" I asked my childhood pals.

**Sonic's P.O.V**

I was racing Shadow around the school's perimeter, the prize being (unbeknownst to Shadow) a kiss from Amy. I was gradually letting him win tying him on the first, same on the second, then I gave an inch on the third, ending it.

"Hah, this proves I really am faster than you Sonic the Hedgehog!!" He gloated. I noticed Amy Rose coming up behind him.

"Hey Shadow! Turn Around!" I cheered. He turned & received a kiss on the lips from Amy. Then he turned into a stammering mess.

"W-w-what d-did you d-d-d-do that f-for?" He said blushing profusely.

"Well, the prize was a kiss from me silly!" She teased.

"I t-thought it was t-to prove w-who was the f-fastest" He blinked a couple of times then turned on me. "You tricked me!!! I'll get you for that!"

I took off through the halls of the school, Shadow hot on my tail yelling non-stop threats.

**Keira's P.O.V**

I had learned from Kratos that every race was classified into certain categories based on their fighting capabilities & their ability to control their Element. Each Element was something they were unable to choose though it would be based off of their personality & would show itself around the time that person had reached 12 years of age.

"Your sure you haven't had anything weird happened that shouldn't have?" He questioned me for like the hundredth time.

"I'm positive" Answering those two words again, I was starting to feel like a broken record. "I haven't even changed into a beast form once."

"Odd, though it is in your blood…" He continued his theories, I just tuned them out not being able to wait for the day to end, then it the room began shaking! I looked out the window & noticed a huge pillar of rock rising higher & higher!

**Raziel's P.O.V**

What was he thinking!? Why was he doing this!? Jesse, a Neko, was raising the Earth in a giant spire making it reach the clouds & going beyond them! Then the shaking began…

"Melissa!" I roared. She nodded & raised her hands trying to stabilized the spire from collapsing. "Jesse, stop doing this!!!" I shouted at him. He stopped & I saw him trying to bring it back into the ground. It was slowly going back down, but it still stood about four stories high. The shaking continued, it was going to collapse any moment.

"Everyone get out of here!!" I heard Zephyren shout. I looked over as the last of his body changed into a purple-ish blue Phoenix, flames were stretching from the torches onto his skin enveloping his arms in what seemed like gauntlets. He nodded towards me & then towards Melissa. He gave me a look that to me said 'Get her the hell out of here!', I nodded back to him. Jesse, seeing the impending doom of the spire crushing him & had made barrier of rocks around him.

"No! He'll suffocate in that!" I heard Melissa scream & then I grabbed her & made for the door which immediately after I passed through it with her, burst into flames, Zephyren wasn't risking anyone else going in there…

**Zephyren's P.O.V**

I can't believe this guy! Why didn't he take gravity into consideration? Oh, I know cause he's an idiot! I tried to stop the crumbling of the spire at the top but that didn't do anything, the flames on my arms were working like they were supposed to though, I had grabbed the based & was trying to melt the rock so it would stop crumbling. The rock was slowly getting redder, so I intensified the heat in the flames.

"_Increase the heat more_" I heard a voice say. I obeyed it & increased the temperature of the flames. It had to be near 3000K by now. If I lost concentration for a second & these flames touched me I was screwed. _"Increase the heat more than this" _The voice spoke again, it sounded familiar but I couldn't increase the heat anymore or I wouldn't be able to even stand up, it was taking all I had to raise the heat to that temperature. I don't know where this power was coming from either. _"If you don't increase it he'll die" _The voice said. Shut up stupid voice I don't need you telling me this! Then the rest of the spire fell… right on top of the boy's barrier covering it completely, & before me was a molten pile of rock, & charred earth...

**CHAPTER 3 END **


	4. New Faces, & Well, Stuff That’s New!

**Chapter 4: New Faces, & Well, Stuff That's New! Okay, Not Entirely New…**

**Raziel's P.O.V**

We heard a deafening crash, then the flames on the doors disappeared. When Melissa & I entered we saw why we heard the noise. Zephyren had failed to stop the 4 story spire from collapsing. Rubble was everywhere, & in front of Zephyren was about 5 feet of molten rock, ash, & charred earth. He was on his knees in his human form, his head bowed.

"Zephy?" I heard Melissa call. Zephyren looked up at her, confusion in his eyes, as if he didn't know what or who he was.

"Yeah…" He said it more like a confirmation. He got up & walked past the people piling in the room. "Are you two okay?" He asked, the look not disappearing from his eyes.

"Yes" I answered, then I glanced back to the burnt soil. "What happened?" He didn't seem to understand the question altogether.

"What do you mean?" He turned & pointed to where Jesse was buried. "Isn't it obvious?! I couldn't stop it!" He was practically shouting now, Melissa started to look afraid, she looked at me, I nodded. Neither of us, in all the years we had known Zephyren had seen him like this.

"Calm down for a second, that's not what I meant…" I took a breath, smelling the blood coming from Jesse's body, what I wouldn't give to drink that……I shook my head. Regardless, I pointed to the charred & melted earth. "What I meant was how did you do that?" He didn't need to follow my finger to know what I meant, everyone was glaring at him, Kratos & a purple haired female entered at this point, astonished looks on their faces.

"I don't know how I did it…" He shook his head. "I just remember trying to tell everyone to leave & then the next thing I knew there was a melted pile of dirt in front of me…" He looked at his hands, which were completely black. "I don't think I could have raised the temperature that high…I couldn't have could I?" He asked himself.

"Well, that depends…" The new voice made me jump & as I turned around I saw a man in multi coloured armor appear. His hair was green, though not dyed it wasn't like it was hair either, it seemed more like _vines_, the torso piece of his armor was made entirely of water, I was able to see his chest underneath & hear his heartbeat, my mouth watered. His shoulder plates were made out flames, his gauntlets were a mix between light & darkness, alternating between the two as if they were vying for power. The leg pieces were made out of earth from what I could tell but my enhanced hearing told me that there was a strong wind around them. Electricity crackled around his body at times. He wore a headband made entirely out of metal.

"Reikourin…" Kratos said. "Can you tell us what happened?"

"I'm sure I could, but" He moved his hand over the crowd. "what I tell you would be the same as anyone else. What really interests me is…" He pointed at Zephyren. "The Prince over here." I looked at Zephyren, he was shocked.

"Why? What's so special about me?" He questioned, I could tell he was afraid, not of Reikourin.

"Could you come with me for a moment Zephyren?" He held out his hand. "I'd rather speak to you alone…" He had a sincere look on his face, no, not sincere, more like pity. Like he pitied Zephyren, for being around us.

"Wow, the almighty creator of Eternia wants an audience with me? A teenager?" I saw Zephyren hold a hand on his chest & fake a gasp, I smirked. "Should I be honoured?"

"I don't care if you are or not," He stepped forward till he was about a metre or two away from us. "I _need _to talk to you _alone_."

"Fine." Zephyren grabbed Reikourin's hand & vanished.

**Keira's P.O.V**

After I saw Zephyren vanish I left. I don't know why but I felt I needed to go back to my room. I ran until I was out of breath, then panting, I started to walk the rest of the way when I heard someone behind me...

**Melissa's P.O.V**

I left the sparring arena shortly after they discovered Jesse buried under the rubble, he was pronounced dead, not really surprised by that. I headed down to the theatre part of the school. After reaching there I headed up onto the stage & went behind where there was a room full of instruments. This place was generally for band practice or people who wanted to learn to play or just enjoyed playing for fun. There was a lot of room so I grabbed my violin from it's casing underneath the loose floorboard where I kept it in case my room got raided & started playing, not really wondering if what I was playing was a song or not. I moved over to the far right corner of the room & played on while taking a seat on the edge of the piano.

**Shadow's P.O.V**

I eventually caught up to Sonic & right before I was about to punish the faker I was stopped by James. Damn! A metal sheet had stopped my hand about 2 centimetres from Sonic's face.

"Leave him alone Shadow" His hands were up, a bit of strain of his face. "It was a harmless joke." Another hedgehog appeared behind him skipping over towards where I was & pulled Sonic out of my reach.

"Yeah, Shadow leave Sonic alone" She wagged a finger at me. "It's not his fault you started to stutter like crazy when Amy kissed you!" She giggled as I blushed, then I took off. Damn those two, Jenn & James always got in my way when I was getting my revenge on something!

**Zephyren's P.O.V**

After I had finished talking to Reikourin I headed to the instrumental room where I heard Melissa playing her violin. As I entered she stopped playing & gave me a hug.

"You know" I said as she released me. "I have never played with you have I?" She shook her head.

"Nope!" She said smiling. "Wait, I never knew you played violin!"

"I don't" I laughed & gestured to the piano. "Wanna do a duet? I'll play piano, you play the violin" I sat down in front of the piano.

"Sure, okay" She started tapping her foot. "A one, a two, a one, two, three!" She started playing a melancholy theme, I followed. A girl with black hair hanging down past her shoulders walked in. she was wearing a white t-shirt with a black vest over top zipped up, She wore shorts & a black skirt type bottom with it.

"That sounds beautiful" She said. "Aerith, you were right it's coming from in here" Another girl wearing a pink gown came in.

"I told you that already Tifa" She wagged her finger at her. "But you didn't listen" She looked at us & even though we hadn't stopped playing we were looking at them. We finished the song & they waited listening as the last note lingered in the air. "My name's Aerith Gainsborough & this is my friend Tifa Lockheart." We shook hands. "It's a pleasure to meet you Zephyren"

**CHAPTER 4 END**


	5. Things Related With The Word ‘Night’

**Chapter 5: Things Related With The Word 'Night'**

**Zephyren's P.O.V**

"Was I really that big of a topic here?" I asked Aerith. "I mean it seems everyone knows who I am"

"I saw you once before you ran away last time," She smiled. "You haven't changed much since then though. You still have trouble following you." This time I was the one smiling.

"So Tifa, have you accepted the offer yet?" I heard Melissa ask. Her violin was laid on the piano.

"No" She shook her head. "I don't think I will either, I don't like being in charge of that many people." She shrugged. "Anyways, Zephyren you forgot these" She handed me back my blades. "I found them near the rubble, I figured you'd be looking for them later so I held onto them for you."

"Thank you so much…"I placed them on the piano carefully then I gave Tifa a hug. I felt her body tense, she was surprised I figured. "My mother gave me those…before she died." I released her to see she was still a bit shocked. "They're very important to me."

"It was no problem" She was smiling, her face sincere. Melissa coughed, & I turned around to notice that two more people had entered the room.

"Oh Zephyren, these are our friends" She gestured to a guy carrying a large sword, then to a guy carrying a blade with a gun-shaped hilt. "This is Cloud Strife & this is Squall Leonhart." I shook hands with them.

"Nice to meet you" Squall said, Cloud simply nodded.

"What time is it?" I asked more to myself than anyone.

"Around 6:30" Tifa answered.

"I should be heading to my room soon. I can't believe it's only been 3 hours since I've come back. I have a lot to think about & I don't want to be distracted during the tournament." I grabbed my blades, latching them to my waist & left the room.

"Wait, Zephy!" Melissa yelled. I turned to see that she wanted to ask me something & I think I knew what.

"Sorry, I'm not going to tell you what Reikourin told me" She looked hurt. "It's not that I don't trust you & you know that" I sighed. "It's just he asked me not to & I'd rather think it through until I can at least get the gist of it myself okay?" I looked at her, she seemed upset still but at least she understood. I waved a farewell to the others when I heard a scream. Far off, & if it wasn't for my enhanced birdly hearing I wouldn't of heard it, I looked at Melissa she had heard it too. The voice sounded like…

"KEIRA!!!" I bolted out of the room & down the hall, I heard Melissa bounding after me.

"Section V!" She said, speaking between breaths.

"Damn it!" I jumped in the air & changed flapping my wings as soon as I felt them, taking off faster than I had ever flown in my life.

"Zephyren, wait!" I heard Melissa yell to me. "You can't take a coven that size you'll-" Her voice trailed off as I turned the corner; unable to hear her anymore. As I made it into the Vampire Section, I heard another scream, this time it was louder. I took another left I found a group of Vampires surrounding a Human. Keira.

"KREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEH!" I screeched, I felt flames & electricity surround my body & I dive-bombed into the now startled Vampires. There had to be at least 5 or 6 of them. I worked my way to Keira, slashing my arm on one of the vampires nails. When I did get to her she was trembling frantically. I let my Elements die away as I checked her for any bites, there was one on her wrist & another on her leg, she had lost a fair amount of blood though, she'd be okay if she got help within an hour.

"_But first we must deal with those who hurt her"_ I heard the familiar voice again. Yes, I will deal with those that had hurt her & I turned to deal with the advancing coven of middle-aged Vampires.

"Wow, two Zeonthropes!" A vampire said licking his lips. "Oh & he's furious! Listen to that boiling blood!" He grimaced.

I charged forward again, my body bursting into flames & electricity once more. I punched one in the face & let the flames lick his body burning his eyes, he screamed & I finished him breaking his neck. Another female tried to tackle me from behind but was instantly shocked & fell to the ground, convulsing. Four more of the bloodsuckers piled onto me & held me down & then I heard another set of steps & I felt the weight being lifted off of me, & the next thing I knew I was staring at Raziel, fury was also in his eyes.

"Are you still able to fight?" He tilted his head over to the once again advancing group of Vampires. I got up & noticed that more had joined them, & a few of the ones that had been with them in the beginning had left. "I don't think they are going to let up anytime soon." I braced myself feeling a strange new surge of power as they advanced. Something startled them, maybe something Raziel did, I couldn't tell as my vision had now taking on a strange reddish colour. I felt the bloodlust of battle come upon me & waited as the confident coven advanced another step. Another. One more. They took one more step towards us & then with a deafening screech I charged towards the mass of blood drinking Vampires…

**Shadow's P.O.V**

I was running through the Vampire Section of the school still angry at what had happened earlier. Then I ran into it, quite literally. I turned a corner & collided with a burly Vampire.

"Looks like we've got another snack here people" He snarled & made his way towards me as did two others. I noticed the Prince & Raziel struggling with about half a dozen more behind them.

"Hmph!" I warped behind them. "You call yourselves Vampires?!" They turned & jumped at me.

"Chaos Control!" Time slowed around me & I hit the three of them in vital spots, deactivating Chaos Control they fell, groaning in pain. I jumped forward attacking another two more that had on joined the fray.

**Sora's P.O.V**

I was running down the hall as fast as I could. Riku was catching up quickly behind me.

"Okay, Sora take the next right!" He said to me now having completely caught up. We took the turn & found that there was at least twenty Vampires. The smell of blood was thick in the air. There was Shadow fighting alongside a Zeonthrope, & another Vampire.

"They're…"I drifted off feeling the Keyblade appear in my hand.

"Crazed" Riku finished for me. I looked at him & nodded. We charged into the battle determined to help our friend & save them.

**Melissa's P.O.V**

I finally caught up & the battle had already started, I joined getting as close to Keira as I could. I was getting her out of here. She was the only one I could get away from there. No blood was on her. I moved passed the Vampires swiftly picking Keira up & placing her on my back. Then I changed, feeling her on my back I ran on two legs through the hall & to the Instructors Office.

**CHAPTER 5 END**


	6. The Power of The Dark…

**Chapter 6: The Power of The Dark…**

**Raziel's P.O.V**

I had lost track of time. After helping Zephyren hold off the others for several minutes I noticed the smell of human blood in the air. It was faint but eventually I noticed Zephyren's arms were drenched in blood. His. The craving for it was overpowering & I nearly turned on him myself, & if it wasn't for his avian appearance I probably would have. After about 20 minutes of this seemingly never ending conflict I noticed that Shadow, one of the Antro Instructors, had joined in, not enforcing any laws, but more like he was using this fight to vent off his own anger. I had to be careful on how I fought until I noticed Melissa take the girl away, at this point Sora & Riku had joined us.

"KREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEH" I heard Zephyren's screech yet again. Then I noticed the room started to heat up. I glanced over to Zephyren & noticed he was literally smoking! The blood had stained his feathers but the rest had evaporated. Then the room cooled down as suddenly as it had began, & in it's place purple flames erupted around Zephyren!

**Zephyren's P.O.V**

"_They must pay!" _I heard the voice say once again. I charged slashing out in a blind rage at the mob of pale figures. "_Destroy them!"_ The voice urged me on. "_Unleash your power! Make not even an ounce of their being exist anymore!!!"_ I nodded as the voice _commanded _me. I felt a surge of power…this one greater that anything I've ever felt before. I launched a jet of flaming electricity & watched as several of the Vampires burned. I laughed, moving one hand behind me & concentrating this newfound power into it.

**Riku's P.O.V**

"Hey, over here!" I shouted to the nearby Vampire helping us, indicating for him to grab my hand. "Sora, Shadow!" I showed them my other hand they understood immediately & grabbed it. Whatever that Zeonthrope was doing, it wasn't safe for anyone. I warped us to the Instructors Office to find Kratos talking to a girl.

"Raziel!" She smiled, the smile immediately vanished when she saw our faces. "What's wrong?" She asked.

The room started to shake. Throughout the whole school a series of screams could be heard. The scream of someone losing their soul…the scream of those dying. It only lasted a couple of seconds, but those seconds seemed to stretch on for hours, & when it ended, there was a silence. No one spoke. There was no need, we all exchanged glances, we all knew what had happened. There was no more danger of a mob of blood crazed Vampires…there were now none left to speak of…

**Kratos' P.O.V**

Shortly after the shaking there were people in the hall all asking questions.

"Shadow," I turned to my anthropomorphic friend. "Can you take me to where the fight started?"

"It might be too dangerous to return there." He responded, clearly not wanting to see the results of the shaking. "But yes, I can." He nodded.

"Thank you" I nodded & grabbed his hand.

"This is near where we were- What…?" Shadow trailed off.

We appeared…somewhere…if this was a part of Eternia, I didn't recognize it. The walls were completely black, purple flames were burning on what I assumed were bodies. A chill ran down my spine…who? No, _what_ could cause this much destruction? I continued down the hall, the doors to the neighbouring rooms were completely destroyed. The chaos stretched on until I got to a place where two halls met.

"Unbelievable…" The word escaped my mouth involuntarily. We were looking at what seemed to be another section of the fight, though this one was littered with more bodies, at the end was a person on his hands & knees. Zephyren.

"Heheheheheheheheheheh" He was laughing. "I finally have control!!!!" His eyes were completely black. He got up & I noticed that despite him being in his human form his wings were _still there._ He picked up one of his swords, sheathing the other. His arms were dripping blood & he was surrounded by a dark essence.

"Zephyren?" I asked. "Are you alright?" I placed my hand on my sword getting ready for an attack.

"Never better, heheheheheh" He wasn't normal. "Say Kratos…" He pointed his sword at me. "I never thanked you for bringing me back did I?"

"What are you talking about?" Something was definitely wrong. "You hate it here."

"Yeah, but I still haven't thanked you…" He started advancing, his sword still raised. "Well, a fight…what do you think?" He was running at me now. I drew my blade. "Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

"Chaos Control!" I heard Shadow yell. The next thing I knew Zephyren was unconscious on the couch in my office & I was in front of him, Shadow standing beside me.

"What happened?" I asked though the answer seemed fairly obvious.

"I used Chaos Control & knocked him out bringing the two of you here afterwards." I looked around everyone else was still here, looking incredulously at us, & Zephyren was now sleeping on the couch, a peaceful look on his face.

"His restraints are loosening." I heard the voice of Reikourin. "The darkness is taking over." He appeared in front of us. "With the passing of his father who had kept the reins tight on the creature lurking in the Prince, he has lost control & unless he can re-establish that control himself…" He sighed. "Then the Prince's body will over exert itself & he will die releasing the spirit of the God of Darkness…"

"What?!" Raziel shouted. "He can't be!"

"Ahh, but he is…" Reikourin continued. "Why do you think he's been called a _Dark_ Phoenix?" He gestured to Keira. "She houses his opposite, the Goddess of Light. She's the only one that can contain his power." He sighed. "People fail to realize that everyone who can make their Element bend to their will with ease house the spirit of one of my subjects in them…" He approached Raziel. "You hold the God of Wind's spirit in you, young vampire." Raziel's mouth dropped. "As your sister houses the Goddess of Earth in her." Melissa looked like she was going to faint. "They were twins too you know, the Gods of Earth & Wind I mean." Then he vanished. Leaving us all with unanswered questions & confusion…

**CHAPTER 6 END**


	7. Memories, Responsibility, & More!

**Chapter 7: Memories, Responsibility, & More!**

**Zephyren's P.O.V**

Darkness. As I looked around it was all I could see. There was nothing around me but a void. _Darkness._ I walked forward. It didn't look like it but there was something underneath as I felt my feet hit a hard substance.

"_Now wasn't that amazing?"_ I heard a voice. "_Ahh, the taste of battle..._"I heard the voice cackle "_How I longed for it!"_

"Who are you?!" I yelled at the voice. Something was too familiar about the voice, it frightened me. "And what do you mean?!"

"_Aww, little Zephy doesn't remember the one who _tried_ to help him nine years ago?_" The voice laughed again. "_Here let me...._refresh_ your memory._"

The darkness around me warped & I was in the infirmary section of Eternia, though this was an older one. My father was there, kneeling over a bed with a child in his arms, _me._ He was holding my shoulders as we looked at my mother. Her face was a ghostly white, her body looked so......frail. I didn't like remembering my mom like this, I missed the strong person that she used to be.

The world around me warped again & I was looking at the ceiling of my room. But something was different, this night was different. A veil appeared in front of me, it was too dark to see what it was.

"_I can help her you know..." _The voice was providing an opportunity, but for what? "_You can save your dear mother with my power_" The voice held out its hand, the sign of a pact.

"Daddy says that you're bad & I can't listen to you!" I retreated into a corner.

"_He is just afraid of you being stronger than him_" The voice sounded _very_ convincing. "_Just think for a second please, if you accepted my power." _The veil advanced, hand still outstretched. _"You could save your mother & be able to boss your Daddy around, remember how he doesn't want you going outside of the grounds? You'd be able to do that then"_ It took another step closer, almost touching my hand on its own.

"Really? I could do that?" My childish curiousity had peaked. "I could leave & save Mommy?"

"_Why, of course!" _It....no, _he _sounded shocked. As if I hadn't realized it sooner. _"So, what do you say?"_

I grabbed his hand & felt a great strength in me. I looked at myself, a new greenish-purple & black aura had surrounded my body & I bolted for the door. After I had made it down the hall a guard jumped in my way.

"Get out of my way!" I shouted, feeling another surge of power. The guard fell to the ground his body bursting into a purple flame. I continued to run regardless of what I had just done. I made it to the infirmary.

"Zephyren, please return to your room" Shadow stood blocking the way in.

"NO!" I roared. I raised my hand lifting Shadow off the ground. I threw him, hearing a loud crack as his head hit the wall.

Mommy was lying there, paler than earlier, she didn't have much longer. "_Remember what I told you..." _I heard the voice speaking to me softly. I raised my hands & let them hover over my mother's body. I felt the change instantly, her face flushed immediately & the colour started to return to her body.

"ZEPHYREN NO!!!!" I heard a booming voice behind me. My father. He ran towards me & pulled me away. I looked at my mommy's face for the first time since I started healing her & horror was in her face.

"_Don't let them stop you!" _The voice shouted to me. "_You can save her & then _we _can be free!"_

As soon as those words left his mouth I stopped resisting & let them take me away. I realized, I wasn't saving my mom. I was making her endure more of that pain for my own selfish reasons. The scene warped once more.

"Rin, Corai, Gura, Huin, Kire, Neli, Aeo, Muranis!" I felt the power leave my body as my father spoke the last word of the sealing spell.

"_NOOOOOOOO!" _I heard the voice scream. "_I am Nexion the God of Darkness, I can't be sealed!" _The image stopped.

"YOU!" I shouted to the darkness as all my memories came flooding back. "You're the one that-" I stopped as the memory of the fight with the Vampires came back.

"_Dark Rendering!" I screamed as a wave of dark fire erupted from the blade shaking the ground eliminating all in front of me._

"I k-k-k-killed t-them...." I was shaking with fear.

"_Ahahahahaha, yes......wasn't it magnificent?" _Nexion was enjoying this. My despair.

"No, it wasn't." I composed myself quickly, I can't let him get control. "I won't let you do that again. You know that by showing me my memories & letting me see the past, you made a fatal error, Nexion." I put my hands together as my father had done nine years prior.

"_Really? Hehehehe, I don't believe that there was, but what are you doing? Hehehe"_

"Rin, Corai, Gura, Huin, Kire, Neli, Aeo, Muranis!" I shouted the sealing spell feeling the darkness around me dissipate.

"Zephyren?" I heard a girl's voice. "Zephyren, wake up!" I opened my eyes to see an Angel kneeling beside me.

"He seems to be fine now." She turned to Kratos. "Nexion seems to have been sealed again, at least temporarily." She shrugged. "Though, there's no telling when that could happen again." I got up at this point.

"It won't happen again, I've sealed him away till next year at least. I'll take responsibility for what I've done....Ah!" Pain exploded inside my head.

"_You won't get rid of me that easily!"_ I grabbed my hair & screamed. "_You think you can hold me?"_

"I know I can." I thought to myself, feeling the now familiar power again. "All I have to do is use your power against you!" I pressed against his essence, forcing him back. "Don't come back out!"

"Zephyren?!" The Angel questioned. "What just happened?"

"He's not coming back as long as I don't let him..."I fell back on the couch exhausted, mentally & physically. "I'm just gonna sit for a sec, okay?" I blacked out.

**Melissa's P.O.V**

A lot had happened between Shadow & Kratos bringing Zephyren back & Zephyren waking up. First, Kratos explained what he had seen & then summoned for Cadence Steele, an Angel who could ward off the spirits of the 'Corrupted'. Second, she told us that each one of us, well, those that had spirits in us, were either called 'Corrupted' or 'Blessed' Ones. The difference? That was easy. Corrupted Ones have spirits with the ability to destroy worlds & Blessed Ones have the ability to save those same worlds. Finally, I learned that each of the "Corrupted" or "Blessed" have a special ability that only they could use. What that was were never told, isn't that frustrating? We're told we have some awesome ability & then we aren't told what it is or how to use it!

Anyways, when Zephyren passed out again Raziel took him to his room & escorted Keira also. Leaving me with Shadow, Kratos, & two other boys I didn't know.

"My name's Sora" The one boy with brown spiky hair said. "And this is Riku." He gestured to the boy with silver hair sitting next to him. He waved & I waved back happy to have more friends.

"My name's Melissa, it's nice to meet ya!" I sat down, glad that some of the tension in the room was gone.

"So you're a Werewolf?" Riku asked. "Does that mean if you bite us we'll change into Werewolves too?"

"Yes, I am a Werewolf" I nodded. "But no that isn't true, if I bite you you won't turn into a Werewolf like me. Everyone always asks me that." I laughed.

"Well then, how'd you become one then?" Sora asked.

"Same way as a Vampire"

"Which is?" Riku asked. I can't believe he lived at Eternia & didn't know this stuff already....one of the informants must be slacking off again.

"You blood them" I answered. "Or to put it into simple terms, their blood has to touch yours." I raised my arm & gave it a slight cut with my nail. "For example, if this blood were to touch an open wound on your person..." I licked the blood & let the cut heal. "Then you would become a Werewolf."

"Well then, how'd you become a Werewolf?" Sora asked.

"I was attacked..." I cringed as the memory came back full force. "Me & Raziel were celebrating our birthday, or Valentine's Day, whichever you prefer. Kind of a mixed party, bit Valentine's, bit B-Day. Anyways, we were leaving & a group attacked us. I was being chewed & drained by Werewolves & Vampires as was Raziel. Next thing I knew I had become a wolf & Raziel looked inhuman. Well to me he did with the enhanced vision & all. Then..." I took a breath trying to recall what happened next.

"Then?" Riku & Sora had moved right up close to me now. Locked in the story.

"Then we fed....for a while." They looked at me, shocked. "No! No, not like that!" I waved my hands in front of me trying not to laugh. "We fed off of animals then eventually we were brought here."

"Oh, I see." Sora put his arms behind his head. "Being a Werewolf sounds kinda cool!"

"It's got some perks" I added.

**Keira's P.O.V**

"Zephyren?" I shook his arm trying to wake him up. "Zephyren, wake up!"

"Hmm?" He turned over to face me rubbing his eyes. "What's wrong Keira?"

"Umm, Cadence is at the door..." I pointed over to the Angel from before standing in the doorway & Zephyren immediately sat up.

"Cadence?" He rubbed his eyes again. "Oh, what would you like?"

"I just came to inform you that there will be no charges pressed against you for breaking an Eternian law. It's been labeled as self-defence."

"Self-defence? Self-defence?! I slaughtered them & destroyed a section of Eternia! And you're labeling it as self-defence!?" He was clutching the bed covers now, his knuckles were white.

"Yes, but the laws also state that if one is possessed while they are committing a crime then the law is weakened as they aren't responsible for their actions." She made a scroll appear in her hands.

"But, I wasn't possessed till after I use Dark Rendering." Zephyren argued.

"There is no way to prove that. The influence was there regardless & you could have been remembering a version of the story that Nexion wanted you to remember. Now, I'll take my leave." She bowed & left the room.

**Kratos's P.O.V**

I knocked several times on the door in front of me waiting for an answer. Zephyren appeared unsurprisingly looking like he just got out of bed.

"Good morning Mr. Feral." I bowed ignoring the sigh that the Prince made. "Today's the day of the tournament. Are you still going to enter?"

"It's still being held? After all that's happened?" He looked like he was going to fall over.

"Yes, only two of the entrants are Vampires & none of them were eliminated during the 'incident'" He invited me into his room.

"Yeah, I'll compete, just lemme shower, get dressed & eat something." He started to head to the bathroom but stopped midway. "Where's Keira?"

"She's in my office. She'll be viewing the tournament with me as we discussed earlier."

"Okay thanks, I wonder. Do you believe everything Reikourin says Kratos?" He turned to me.

"What do you mean?" I had no idea what he could be asking.

"Just answer the question." He was getting impatient.

"Yes, as the creator of existence as we know it, what else can we do but believe his words?"

"I see...Thanks for the answer Kratos." He dismissed me with a wave & headed to the bathroom.

**Raziel's P.O.V**

The doors in front of me opened as I was led into the tournament briefing room. It looked like an ancient coliseum of sorts. People all around us were cheering.

"Greetings, everyone!" Reikourin spoke. "Today is the day of the end break tournament!" Thousands of cheers roared as he spoke these words. "We have our competitiors." He gestured to us. "From left to right we have Zephyren the Phoenix Prince!" He was walking among us the ground seeming to refresh the earthen part of his armor. "Next we have two unique competitors" He gestured to me & my sister. "Melissa the Malevolent Werewolf & Raziel the Vampiric Warrior!" He walked past us to the last two entrants. "And finally, we have the last two entrants..." He gestured to a black haired vampire. "Here we have Slate Xio, the Vampire Assassin!" Then to the next entrant, a human. "Lastly, we have Patrick Flaherty, the Element Manipulator!" The crowd cheered as the last of us were introduced.

"And now, we'll explain the rules." He moved over to the monitor gesturing for us to follow. "The tournament consists of three matches. A one-on-one fight, a puzzle, & finally the Instructor fight. The first two are obviously self explanatory. The last however is slightly different. While the first two matches are held individually, The last is different. The remaining competitors must work as a team to defeat five Instructors selected at random. Note that no one has beaten that match yet. Best of luck to you all!" He left the coliseum after those last words. Little did I know we'd need all the luck we could get.

"Now what would each of you like as a prize should you succeed?" Reikourin had a pencil & notepad in his hands.

"Personalized armor." Zephyren spoke first.

"Lots of money!" Melissa said. Later I heard her say to Zephyren when he asked why & she replied "For more hair dye colours!"

"A bigger room." I told him. Watching him snicker as he wrote it down.

"To be able to wield an Element." Slate told Reikourin, who surprisingly, wrote it down.

"Personal training from you." Patrick told Reikourin, who again to my surprise, wrote it down.

"Very well, I have the prizes..." The notepad & pencil vanished from his hands. "And now, without further ado...Let the tournament, begin!" The doors around the coliseum opened & we each headed forward to the darkness to meet our unknown opponents.

**CHAPTER 7 END**


	8. Instructors, The First Round & Stuff!

**Chapter 8: Instructors, The First Round & Stuff!**

**Xion's P.O.V**

"You know…" Kain spoke while polishing an apple. "I am surprised the Prince has that much power sealed in him." He took a bite out of the green fruit & continued speaking. "It is a good thing only instructors were told what actually happened otherwise he may have been hanged." I nodded in agreement. The Prince was lucky, if not for the cover up story about a student trying to make a nuclear warhead out of the Elemental properties of Darkness & Fire then he most likely would've been executed as the laws state.

"So Kain…" I spoke getting up from the bench at the guard outpost to look out the window. "Do you know who's been chosen for the Instructor section of the fight?"

"No…" He threw the rest of the apple away after reaching the core. "Do you know who is?" He picked up his dragon design helmet & put it under his arm.

"I know I'm one of the choices they want to pick but there's a chance I might lose control of my _darkness_ so I'm their last pick for it." I sighed. "Well, besides Uranus that is. Anyways, I hope Yugo, Bakuryu, & Shina don't all decline."

"Why not? You don't want a chance to get back at Zephyren?" He nodded to my still semi-charred hand.

"I do…but my darkness being so close to him may not be a good idea."

"What do you mean?" He had placed his helmet on his head & gestured for me to follow him outside of the outpost to check on more new arrivals.

"I mean either of us could end up losing control again & endangering others." I winced as a little memory of my past flashed before my eyes. "Anyways, they should choose you. After all, they still need a Human Instructor to participate in case Patrick makes it."

"But what about the two vampires & the Werewolf?" He cleared the two students & sent them on their way. "Raziel is the closest thing we have to a Vampire Instructor & he's participating. We also have no Werewolf Instructors since there are very few here."

"Freya Crescent has been chosen for Raziel, & I believe that Zidane Tribal has been chosen for Slate."

"Ahh, A wind user for Raziel & a Non-Elemental for Slate. What about the Werewolf though?"

"No idea. You trained Freya before there were any Anthro Instructors didn't you?"

"Yes. I gave her one of my lances upon graduating too." He sighed. "She was my star pupil. I often have her come back & demonstrate to Wind elementalists."

"Though, Raziel may not end up fighting her at all. Remember, it's a team effort but all will start out at different points along the map chosen."

"Well anyways, I have to go & tend to other duties…Ahh, Uriko!" He wave to a girl in an oversized shirt running over to us. "How are you?"

"Fine, fine," She said turning to me. "I've been looking everywhere for you!" She scolded me.

"Why?" I asked, hoping that it wasn't about me being chosen for the Instructor match.

"You've been chosen for the match!" She jumped as if it was a great honor. Don't get me wrong, it was, but I didn't want to be a part of it.

"I see." I looked to Kain who had a serious look in his eyes. "Thanks, Uriko."

"Heeeee, no problem!" She turned back to the Academy & left.

"Have fun, you'll need time to train so I'll leave you to it." He turned & left to scold some kids for trying to enter an outpost, leaving me to deal with my newfound despair.

**James' P.O.V**

"Chaos Spear!!!" Shadow yelled as a beam a Chaos Energy charged towards me. I deflected it sideways using a metal barrier I had created. "Chaos Spear!" Another ball of yellow Chaos energy appeared in Shadow's hands this time becoming an actual spear shape.

"How'd you do that!?" I asked moving the metal barrier so it was under my feet. I lifted myself off the ground.

"No need to tell you now is there?"

"Oh yeah? Well, haha! I am the Silver Surfer!" I yelled hands on my hips. "Woah!!" I swerved sideways as Shadow launched the spear at me. "Okay maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaybe not _silver_ surfer…" I flew circles around him tauntingly. "More like Metal Surfer." I dodged another Chaos Spear. And another.  
"Nani nani boo boo you can catch me!" I grabbed him & threw him over my shoulder launching him into the wall. Dust was floating everywhere where he had hit.

"I can't catch you?" I heard the voice in my ear as I felt two arms wrap around me as he threw me off my floating platform & onto the ground. "Seems like I can. Now get up!" I groaned as I felt the metal platform once again become a pendant around my neck.

"You let me get you to drop my guard." I told him.

"Bingo. Anyways, I see you've improved with your Elemental abilities. You might be an Arcane Anthro Instructor soon." He praised.

"I doubt it." I told him, hiding my shock at the sudden praise.

"Chaos Spear!" I heard a voice behind me, I jumped sideways making my necklace back to a board in the process. A green hedgehog wearing a leather jacket with two scars on his chest came into the room.

"Scourge!" Shadow said. "Why did you come back?"

"Aww, don't tell me you didn't miss me, Shadow?" He teased. "I mean, I know Rouge has an Emerald or two here so I thought to myself…" He took out a purple gem & started to toss it up & down. "Why she doesn't need more than one so, I'll _relieve_ her of one."

"So you stole it?" I spoke.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk." He waved a finger at me. "It's not stealing if you take what's already stolen." Another wave of Chaos energy whipped from his hand hitting Shadow square in the chest.

"Shadow!" I yelled at my now unconscious ally.

"I'll use you as target practice for this new gem." He laughed & started firing. I swerved left & right making my way to the wall. When I reached it I made a dome around myself & caused the metal to become denser. Other Instructors would be here to deal with the issue soon so I took out a pack of cards & started setting up a game of Solitaire. Sure enough, I heard him being taken away after about ten or twenty minutes.

**Aerith's P.O.V**

"Are you sure Tifa?" I asked again.

"Yes Aerith. I'm going to enter the tournament." She sighed.

"But you said you didn't want to fight Zephyren." I told her recalling an earlier discussion.

"I don't & there's a chance I won't have to. Hey Regal!" She waved to a well dressed blue haired man walking by. "Do you know where Zell is?"

"No, I'm afraid I don't ." He replied politely.

"Okay, thanks anyways. Aerith, I'm going to find Zell for training okay?" She ran off. I shook my head.

"What's wrong Ms. Gainsborough?" I heard a high voice call. I looked down to see Vivi staring at me with his big yellow eyes.

"Nothing, Vivi. So what are you up to?" I replied, faking a smile.

"I was looking for you to see if you could tell me more about the Lifestream. Your lesson on it was bit confusing so I wanted to ask if you could explain it again."

"Okay then. Now pay close attention." As I started my lecture I noticed he was really trying hard to understand. That cheered me up a lot more. "If only more students were like him," I thought to myself. "Then being an Instructor would be so much easier."

**Squall's P.O.V**

"Firaga!" I shouted as a ball of red hot flames shot from my hand. Cloud dodged to the right separating another sword from the large one he carried. I charged in hoping to catch him off guard when he swung at me with the smaller of the two swords he had. I jumped backwards looking down to make sure I landed properly. When I looked up Cloud was up above me coming down with his sword above his head. I jumped back again, narrowly avoiding the beams that came from the blade when he landed. I jumped forward again, seeing an opening. I brought my gunblade down hoping to knock him out. He had blocked to attack but staggered back. I kept up the relentless assault of sword swings, hoping for him to give.

"Thundara!" Cloud shouted. I was struck by a thunderbolt which stopped my attack & knocked me over. He jumped away placing the smaller sword back into the larger one.

"That…" I groaned as I got up. "Was a nice counter." We shook hands & headed towards the door.

"We should spar more often." Cloud suggested.

"Yeah…" I reached for the door handle & received another jolt of electricity. "Ahh! Next time though, no Thunder Materia, okay?"

"Only if you don't use any Fire Materia." He indicated to the burnt section on his loose left sleeve.

"Deal." I chuckled. I noticed a brown haired man walking towards us. He waved & held out his hand.

"Hello." He shook our hands. "My name is Noctis Caelum."

"My name's Cloud & this is Squall." Cloud introduced us.

"Nice to meet you. I saw the two of you sparring, could I join you or would that be a little late now?" He nodded over to the small arena we just left.

"Well, I guess. It'll be fun to have new competition. Right, Cloud?" I ran my hand through my hair.

"I guess. Just give us about half an hour to catch our breath." He replied.

"Very well." The man spoke & pulled out a metal blade similar to my gunblade.

**Patrick's P.O.V**

I summoned a large tidal wave from the pool of water beside me to trample the two Behemoths. It didn't work too well, just made them angrier. My opponent was to be five starving Behemoth fiends, but due to them being so hungry two had already been devoured by the others. I had already taken care of one by submerging him in the water, causing it to drown. Its lifeless corpse now floated there.

"This isn't good…" I spoke to myself. I tend to do that sometimes. I was being backed into a corner by the two beasts. Come on, think! What are Behemoths weak against? I was running out of time, as the two beasts were now less than 2 feet from me. I could feel their nasty breath on my clothes. And miraculously…they started to fight each other! They must have decided that I wouldn't be enough to satisfy them both. I took my chance & dove into the pool & forced the water out so I had a sphere of air around me & a small little 'pipe' so I could breathe. Thankfully, Behemoths can't swim, so this gave me time to think till they noticed I wasn't there anymore. Then an old lesson came back to me…

"Behemoths aren't affected by magic or elemental properties all that much due to their tough skin & unique DNA. But they do have a weakness. They rely heavily on their sight, so if you take that away the battle is yours." I remembered my old teacher Quistis Trepe telling me.

"That's it!" I shouted. Joy rushed through my body as I let the water lift me up to the surface. I used my abilities to wrap the light around me & make me slightly invisible. I shuffled through my pockets moving backwards on the water slowly as the Behemoths now circled the large pool of water. "Where is it?" I thought to myself. Then my hand reached a black grenade. "Yes!" I chucked the device at the one behemoth, blinding him. I could see its eyes cloud over & I rushed in for the kill, brandishing my Dual-Ended Blade. I beheaded the Behemoth & retreated back to the water, still invisible to them. The other Behemoth went over to feast on its former ally. I quickly dispatched of it while it was distracted.

"Finally" I sat down letting my invisibility down. "It's over…"

**Melissa's P.O.V**

I received cheers as I left my arena room.

"Congratulations Melissa! You've passed the first match!" Reikourin said patting me on the back.

"Did you really think that I would have a hard time with two Iron Giants?" I asked him with a smile on my face. "Especially in a forest environment. All I had to do was send the plants through their armor & immobilize them, then the rest was easy." I shrugged.

"Listen to her everyone! She called that easy!" I received more cheers as Reikourin gave me more semi-empty praise.

"You'll be given your next match in two days time. Rest up, 'cause you'll need your energy for the next one!" I heard Kratos say to me after I left the room. Patrick was there already, looking exhausted.

"What did you have?" I asked.

"Three very hungry Behemoths." He sighed.

"Wow!" I sat down beside him & patted him on the back. "That sucks. Anyways, has anyone else made it out yet?"

"Nope, I was the first." He sighed again. "I'm gonna go rest for a bit. I'll see you later." He got up & walked off to the Human Section.

**Zephyren's P.O.V**

I let the last of the Lamia fiends get in close & finished it off with a quick slice. As I did however, one of the swords it was holding sliced into my arm leaving a huge gash. I heard a door open as it fell & forced myself to walk through it, tired as I was. I was praised & cheered on by the crowd but when I got out of the arena I was rushed by medics to the infirmary to heal all my cuts.

"Zephyren!" I heard Keira scream as she rushed in to hug me.

"Hey Keira…Ow!" I yelled as she squeezed my sore arm.

"Sorry." She quickly said.

"It's okay." Do you mind if I talk to you in my…Well, our room later?" I asked.

"Sure. What time?"

"How about seven-ish?"

"Okay, I'll see you then." She turned to leave.

"Yeah, see you." I replied letting the doctor finish stitching my arm. After they were done I headed to the sparring arena. When I got there I noticed Cloud & Squall resting & a third guy warming up.

"Hey Zephyren! Did you win?" Squall asked.

"Yep." I turned to the new guy as I got closer. "And you are?"

"Noctis Caelum." He bowed. "I've heard a lot about you, your majesty."

"I've heard about you too, Noctis." I said putting a hand on my hip. "Now I won't treat you like royalty." He smiled when I said that. "But only if you do that same. Okay?" He nodded & I noticed a small little flicker of something above him. The sun hurt my eyes when I looked up but every four or five seconds a small flicker would go appear. It wouldn't be noticeable if you didn't have enhanced vision.

"What are you looking at?" Noctis asked, looking up where I was to see if there was something there. I transformed & flew upwards, surprising the others as I did. I grabbed the _handle_ of one of the many weapons flying above Noctis.

"So you manipulate the Elements of Metal & Light Noctis?" I asked turning the axe I had grabbed around in circles.

"Yeah…" He replied a smile on his face. "I'm surprised you could see that, though."

"Yeah, I can tell." I tossed the axe to him & changed back.

"Well, I'll see you guys around…" I turned to leave but stopped at the door. "Also Noctis, show your ability to Reikourin when you're alone. I think he might like someone like you."

**Raziel's P.O.V**

"Slate!" I yelled as a Manticore advanced on him. He threw the Manticore to the floor & ran over to me.

"You know…" He said twirling a chakram in his hand. "If you didn't throw that Wyrm through the wall I might not have made it past the first match. So, thanks."

"Don't thank me yet." I replied. "After all, we have to beat what? Like three more fiends? All of which aren't harmed by Wind Elements." I sighed. I would have been done by now if it wasn't for the accident of smashing the wall & letting all of Slate's opponents rush into my room.

"These guys? They'll be easy…" He nodded to the two Chimeras advancing on us. "Just get the snake tails on the Chimeras to bite each other once then they'll kill each other. As for the Manticore…" He nodded to the Manticore that was getting up. "That guy you can handle with the Wind element." I looked at him.

"Remember what I said?" I shook my head. "_Not_ harmed by Wind element!"

"I never said you needed to attack it, did I?" He looked at me. I thought about what he could mean for a moment & realized.

"You want me to use the wind to throw the Manticore over to the Chimeras for it to be bit too…" I said. "Not a bad plan but one flaw."

"What's that?" He looked at me as we manoeuvred out of the way of one of the Chimeras attacks.

"This!" I shouted. The Manticore was charging at me, its angelic wings pounding in the air. I jumped on its back & pulled on its sphinx-like head. It bucked & fell to the ground. I pulled out my sword & drove the blade into its head as fast as I could. The fiend's body writhed in pain for a second then stopped moving. "There's no Manticore to speak of now." I told Slate as he grinned & shook his head.

"Smartass!" He shouted over the roar of the angry Chimera that had lost its tail from the other Chimera crushing it. We quickly dispatched of the two remaining monsters & headed through the door.

"All of our competitors are now finished. Though, there was a slight mishap." Reikourin announced nodding to the monitor at the replay of me destroying the wall. "The games will continue as planned & all of our competitors have passed!" Cheers resonated through the stadium once more. "The next round will be held in two days time! Now please return to your classes as originally planned." Groans replaced the cheers as Reikourin said those last words.

"Well done Raziel, you too Slate." I heard Kratos congratulate us as we walked down the hall.

"Thank you." I replied. "I'm going to go for a hunting trip…" I turned to Slate. "You should feed too. That was a tiring battle & you'll need your strength."

"I'll get something later." He replied.

"Well then, I'll see you before the next match. Later!" I turned & left to go hunting.

"Razzy! Wait up!" I heard Melissa behind me. I waited for her to catch up to me.

"Hey!" I ruffled her hair. "Congratulations on winning your first match, Sis!"

"Heeeeeey! Stop it!" She batted my hand away. "Thanks though! Where are ya headed?"

"Hunting. It's been a while since I last did & I don't know how much longer I could go without blood." I turned as I heard a Human's walking speed get faster as I finished the sentence.

"Okay, I'll go with you so you don't accidentally hurt anyone." She had a smile on her face.

"You just want an excuse to satisfy your boredom don't you?" I asked.

"Yeah, that too," She giggled as she answered. "Don't tell me you don't want me to come along just in case."

"You're right about that…" I sighed. "Well, let's go then." And we left the grounds of Eternia.

**CHAPTER 8 END**


	9. A Revision of Past Events

**Chapter 9: A Revision of Past Events…**

**Alice's P.O.V**

"Ha!" I yelled as I attacked with a flip kick, hitting the golden Phoenix in front of me.

"Kreh!" The bird screeched. It's hands burst into flames & I saw it's feathers starting to blow wildly.

"Uh-oh!" I turned & started to run as wind propelled flames charged after me. I felt my body start to change to that of a bunny. I bounced my way farther & higher using wind to try & propel the flames back. Stopping about five yards away from where I had been moments ago, I used the wind to keep the flames away. Eventually the flames died out as the Phoenix returned to his human form. I did the same & walked forward.

"Almost had you…" Cronos said as we shook hands. "If you hadn't gotten away so fast I would have too."

"In your dreams!" I teased. "Though, you were pretty close." We returned to our outpost as two people showed up at our door. One had black hair with silver streaks & the other had spiky/ruffled, silver hair.

"We've been told to come see you." The girl spoke.

"For what exactly?" Cronos asked. Something wasn't right about these guys. He looked after he asked the question, he had the same feeling.

"This…" The guy handed me a document with Reikourin's signature. "We need to know if you can teach us the procedures of being a Guard of Eternia."

"Okay…" I said while reading over the document. "I haven't seen you around before. What are your names?"

"Mine's…Veil Lennian." The man spoke.

"I'm Lyndis Nelion." The girl replied. I looked them over & gestured for them to follow. Then, Cronos & I gave them the basics & sent them off to see Genesis & Kain.

"Did those two give you the same bad vibe that I got?" I asked Cronos after they were out of sight.

"Bad vibe?" He looked shaky. "I felt like I was going to crawl out of my skin!"

**Scourge's P.O.V**

"Let me go!!" I screamed punching at the doors. "I want out now!" I launched several beams of Chaos Energy at the doors trying to destroy them.

"All in good time, Scourge. All in good time." A voice spoke from the shadows.

"Who's there?!" I shouted looking around the large empty room.

"The one who can help you…" The voice said again. "But you must learn to control your emotions & urges…" This time it laughed as I tried blasting where it came from. I landed on my back as one the blast came back & hit me in the chest. "They'll only get you into trouble." I got up trying to hold in my anger.

"So what should I do? Act like an obedient little pup?" Not bothering to hide the sarcasm in my voice.

"Yes…" I snarled at the voice's answer. "But only for a short time. When they let you out you'll hear from me again." And then all was silent.

**Zephyren's P.O.V**

When I got to my room Keira was there resting on the couch.

"Hey…" She said sorta drowsily. "You're early."

"Yeah, the doctors didn't take as long as I thought they would." I carefully took off my jacket, wincing when I felt the shirt underneath tug a little at the stitches.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" She asked.

"A few of things actually…" I moved over to the window & looked out onto the yard. "Do you remember when I went to talk to Reikourin a couple of days ago?"

"Yeah." She sat up & crossed her arms, curiousity was written all over her face.

"Well, he told me a couple of things. I feel like I understand some of it now." I turned & started to pace back & forth. "He told me that each of us possess a fraction of one of his 'servants' spirits. Though, which of the servants it is depends on our Elemental abilities."

"Yep, I heard that from Melissa & Raziel earlier. There's the spirits of Ice, Water, Fire, Wind, Thunder, Earth, Nature, Essence, Light, & Darkness." She ticked them off on her fingers."

"Yes…" I nodded but continued pacing. "But there are those who can't wield any elements at all. The Forbidden…" I had stopped pacing. Remembering what the vampire named Slate had asked for. "They possess a fragment of all of the spirits. Their body's mana wouldn't last if any were to be used & as such we have been taught that those who don't have signs of a specific element in them are unable to wield any at all."

"What does that mean?" She asked.

"It doesn't really mean anything…" I sighed. I wasn't getting anywhere…

**Sora's P.O.V**

"Hey, Sora!" I heard a familiar voice behind me & I turned to see two people about my age running towards me. One had green hair with silver streaks in it, the other had blue hair with similar silver streaks.

"Hey, Lloyd & Zephyran." I cheerfully said. "When did you two get here?"

"Just recently, actually…" Lloyd replied looking to Zephyran whose face was strained. "Again Zeph?"

"Y-yeah…" He panted. "Sorry, I'll have to go. Nice to see you though, Sora." His eyes changed to yellow orbs & his body became pitch black. Darkness swirled around him & he took off.

"He's still having trouble with the darkness?" I questioned noticing Lloyd's brown eyes following his brother. He nodded.

"Yeah…" He turned back to face me. "Razphyxen has been pressuring him to face it & completely conquer it. Instead of just manipulating it at times."

"He'll do it eventually." I placed my hand on his shoulder. "Riku had that problem too remember?"

"Yeah. You're right." He sighed again.

"Come on. Let's go get some sparring practice. Besides, I haven't had anything to help me keep up my swordplay." I started to lead him towards the sparring arena.

"What about Cloud & Leon?" He asked his mood lifted a little.

"No, they prefer to spar against each other." I sighed.

"Okay, let's go then." He picked up the pace. He seemed glad that he had something else to think about. "Hey did you hear? Reikourin says he might be able to split our Nobodies from us without messing with our strengths or our hearts!"

"No way! That means…" I looked at the glimmer of my Nobody. "Roxas…"

"Yeah." He nodded. "Anyways, let's get going!" He started to run towards the arena.

"Hey! Wait up!" I shouted chasing after him.

**Jenn's P.O.V**

"Who says I'm a wimp!?" I shouted at James.

"Umm…not me?" He said shrugging. "Why are you freaking out on me anyways? I didn't do anything."

"Would you stop freaking out Jenn?" I heard someone say behind me. "I'm trying to sleep." I turned to see a black hedgehog with blue streaked quills on his head & back, silver streaks around his arms & legs.

"Well, I heard that James called me a wimp!" I said firmly, crossing my arms on my chest.

"I doubt it." His pink eyes moved over to James. "Did you though?"

"No! Why would I do that? How would calling her a wimp benefit me?" He said.

"Exactly…wait, huh?" I said, confused.

"Never mind. The problem has been solved." He scratched the jagged purple crest on his chest. "Now, it's nine o'clock. So, two things." He held up his fingers. "First, stop freaking out right away & ask nicely Jenn. And second, it's nine o'clock! People are trying to sleep, so shut up!" He turned & went back to his room.

"What's his problem?" I asked.

"No idea..." James said grinning. "But now I found a way to bug Dimethos. Just wake him up."

"I wouldn't recommend it though." I said turning back to James. "You saw how angry he was."

"I saw nothing of the sort…" He said turning away. "And besides like he said, it's nine o'clock. I just gotta say I was too tired to remember the warning."

"James!" I grabbed his arm & whispered something in his ear.

"You wouldn't!" His eyes went wide. "I can't live without it that long!"

"Oh yes I would!" I pointed to our room. "Now go to bed!"

"Fine…" He said bowing his head in defeat & headed to his room. I went to mine & went to sleep. Later being woken up by the sound of James apologizing to Dimethos for waking him up a second time. Oh well, I warned him. No video games for him for the next four or five months.

**Zephyren's P.O.V**

"Anyways, the names of his servants…" I put up my fingers & started to count them all down. "Merian the Goddess of Water, Rika the Goddess of Earth, Kirem the God of Fire, Kyronas the God of Wind, Ferina the Goddess of Ice, Myra the Goddess of Essence, Deoxin the God of Thunder, Larian the Goddess of Nature, Verina the Goddess of Light, Nexion the God of Darkness…" I sighed. "And Reikourin…the God of Being."

"So there are eleven Gods?" Keira said.

"The Phoenix has but one destiny…to die." I said.

"Where did that come from?" She looked shocked.

"Something Reikourin told me..." I got up from the chair I was sitting on. "He said that phrase would apply to my life."

"Did he say anything else?" Keira asked.

"Yeah, umm…well, he told me that you were gonna well, umm…" I blushed.

"Yeah?" She asked getting up. "I'm gonna what? Tell me, please?" She was right in my face now.

"He umm…he said you were going to be my 'partner'." I felt the heat rise to my face again. I swear I have never blushed so much in my life.

"What do you mean?" She asked, confusion on her face.

"I mean we were going to be…well, you know…" I was still blushing.

"What do you…Oh…Oh!" She gasped. "You mean he said we're going to be a couple?" I nodded rapidly. "Wow, I never knew…I mean…" she sat down & looked at me. "Do you feel that way about me?"

"Kind of… I have the urge to protect you. I'm not sure if that's the same though." I shrugged, still blushing.

"Well, I guess that's good enough for me. Okay, let's give it a try." She had a smile on her face.

"You mean…you're actually going to go along with this?" I went over to her & looked her in the eyes. There wasn't a hint of deception in them.

"Yeah, why shouldn't we? I like you & you like me." She leaned forward. "It could work, right?"

"Unbelievable…" I sighed sitting down in front of the couch. I had been hoping she'd leave so I could prove Reikourin wrong. But, I was happy. Happy that she felt the same I guess.

"Hey, Zephyren…" She whispered to me. I looked up & the next thing I knew she kissed me. "Is there anything else you'd like to tell me?" She asked as our lips parted.

"Could you move your hand off of my arm?" I said wincing. "You're pulling at the stitches a bit."

"Sorry." She bit her lip.

"That does hurt though…" I said carefully removing my shirt. "Twenty-seven stitches."

"I'm really sorry." She said again.

"Don't worry about it." I told her smiling. "I'll see you tomorrow. Good night, Keira."

"Good night." She said.

**CHAPTER 9 END**


	10. Times of Wonder & Cookies!

**Chapter 10: Times of Wonder…& Cookies!!**

**Patrick's P.O.V**

Pulling. My body felt like it was being stretched. Then it stopped. I looked around seeing nothing but darkness. I felt water beneath my feet. I walked forward.

"Anyone there? Heeeeeeeeeeeeeellllllllooooooooo." My voice echoed in the darkness. I felt like a fool. It was obvious that nothing could exist in this. "Why does the worst case scenario have to happen to me?" I whispered.

"I am here." I jumped as a new voice, a woman's, pierced through the darkness. "How may I be of service?"

"Service?" I questioned as the darkness changed to a twilit scene. I was standing on water, & there wasn't even a piece of land in my view.

"Yes," The voice said. "You called me." I gasped as a beautiful woman appeared in front of me about four or five feet away. She was about level with me, her blue hair rain down to her shoulders. The fabric she wore looked as if it was made of water, though it was turquoise. She walked towards me until she was about half a foot away from me. Her movements were graceful, like she was water itself.

"I did?" I managed to gasp the word out, unaware that I had been holding my breath.

"Yes, you have." She said placing a hand on my cheek. I gasped. Her hands were cold. "When you fought the Behemoth fiends, you called upon my power." She placed her other hand on my shoulder & embraced me. "I'm thankful though. I finally am able to be bound to a kind spirit."

"What do you mean?" I had gotten used to the cold touch of her skin but I still shivered. "Bound to me? I don't understand." She let go & looked at me. I could see that her eyes were red…she'd been crying. I looked down to see that where her head had touched was a wet spot.

"Our spirits will be bound together." She said. "My power will belong to you. Please," She looked down. "Do not disappoint me as others have."

"I won't" I shook my head. "After all, it's bad karma to make a girl cry. You have my word. I will not abuse the power I receive from you." She embraced me again, after several seconds she looked at me & kissed me. Needless to say, I was shocked. Especially that after she did, she took a step back & disappeared! Small little blues sparkles replaced her & they hovered towards me.

"I trust you, Patrick." I heard her voice in the air. "My name is Merian." The stars hovered around my body eventually seeping into me. I felt…revitalized. The water ran over me. I lifted off of me & levitated it into my hand. It wrapped around my body yet again, making an armor shape around my body. I felt the water become denser, more solid. I looked at my hand & closed it into a fist.

"Thank you, Merian." I looked up at the sky, closed my eyes…& fell back into the water. I opened my eyes to find I was in my room.

"It's three fifteen…ugh!" I said getting up & looking out the window to the moonlit grounds of Eternia. "What a weird dream…" I sighed remembering the face of that girl. "Merian…"

"Yes?" I heard an all too familiar voice. "You called?"

"Merian! Where are you?" I looked around frantically.

"I'm part of your spirit now, remember?" She said in her graceful voice.

"So, I can't see you then?" I sighed. "That sucks."

"No, you can see me." She said. "Go to a mirror." I did as she said & I noticed my reflection change from an image of me to the image of her.

"Merian…" I said feeling a smile spread over my face.

"Yes?" She asked, a curious look on her face. "What would you like, Patrick?"

"Nothing, I just wanted to know that it wasn't a dream" I said feeling relieved that I wasn't having weirder dreams than the ones I already had.

"You should go back to sleep." She said smiling. "Don't worry. I'll still be here in the morning." I sighed & very reluctantly, went back to bed.

**Slate's P.O.V**

The male shouted as I grabbed him, pulling him out of the way of a car that was going way to fast down the road.

"Y-you saved my life!" He exclaimed.

"It wasn't a big deal." I said walking away.

"Is there anyway I can repay you?" The man said. "You saved my life, let me at least return the favour by doing something." He grabbed my shoulder to stop me. "I'll do anything I can to repay you. Honest." He said, pulling out a wallet.

"Anything?" I asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Yes." He gulped, probably regretting his decision.

"Okay then." I looked around for anyone nearby. "There is one thing I need."

"What?" He said, looking at my hand as I moved it around in my pocket. I took out my hand & placed it on his mouth. "What are you…" He started as he passed out. I picked him up & dragged him into the nearby alley. I made a small cut on should & looked at the blood as it slowly started to seep from the cut. I made the cut wider & slightly deeper so more blood would come out & I began to feed. After a couple of seconds I stopped. I listened for his heartbeat. It was there, faint, but there. I took out my cell phone & dialled 911.

"Hello. I've found someone in the alley. He's lost a lot of blood, please send an ambulance! He's in an alley on East Avenue, near the Antique store!" I cried out into the phone. As the person on the other end confirmed that an ambulance was on the way I hung up & left. I wondered if Raziel hunted Humans like I did. Though, that guy wasn't particularly tasty like the one before him. He may have been a vegetarian.

**Zephyran's P.O.V**

I entered the sparring arena looking for my brother shortly after my little 'incident'. He was there talking to Sora, Cloud, & Squall.

"You mean Leon." Razphyxen said. "He doesn't go by Squall remember?"

"I don't care." I told my Nobody. "I'll call him what I want. Besides, it's not like he can read minds."

"Hey Zeph!" I heard Squall call to me. "It's been a while."

"Yeah." I said walking over to them. "Last time we saw each other was…"

"A couple of days before we took down Organization XIII." Lloyd finished for me. I nodded, remembering the battle.

"Hey, guys!" I heard a voice behind me. "What's up?" The voice was Yuffie Kisaragi.

"Hey Yuffie." I said. "Not much, just talking about the past."

"Look what I got." She pulled out a bag full of golden circles. "Would you like them?"

"Oatmeal cookies!" I shouted. "Awesome!"

"Here ya go!" She said as she threw me the bag. "I made them from scratch."

"Thanks Yuffie!" I gave her a hug. "You're the best!" I took a bite out of one of the cookies & shivered with satisfaction as I let the taste of the chocolate run over my tongue. I watched Yuffie leave the arena as I snacked upon another cookie.

"Dad! Where are you?" I heard a girl yell as a black hedgehog sped through the arena. "If I don't find you soon you're gonna regret it Dad!" A girl hedgehog with a mix of pink & black quills came through. "Hey, have any of you seen a black hedgehog with blue & silver streaks, with red lines in the upper corners of his eyes?" I nodded over to the weapon cabinet. She nodded back. "Fine, you're gonna regret this Dad!" She started to silently walk over to the cabinet.

"Scale of one to ten…" I looked at the half eaten cookie. "I'd say it's a seven point five. Maybe an eight." I took another bite of the chocolaty oatmeal goodness. "Yep, definitely eight." BOOM! A large explosion happened behind us & we saw the afore mentioned hedgehog running away from the other.

"Now, now Riana" The black hedgehog stopped running & was waving his hands up in front of his face. "Calm down."

"You promised to be at my class!" She shouted as a beam of light shout from her hand, turning the weapon cabinet a pile of rubble. The black hedgehog, though covered in dust, was seemingly unharmed. "I'm gonna tell Mom on you!" She turned around & started to walk towards us & the door.

"Wait, Riana!" He said grabbing her arm. "I'm sorry I missed your class alright?" She sniffed. "Something came up. You know I can be busy sometimes during the day." She turned around to look at him. "I promise. I'll show up tomorrow." She nodded.

"Hey, Dad…" She said her frown turning to a mischievous grin. "Wanna have a quick sparring match? After all, we're in the arena."

"I really don't want to fight against you." He said shaking his head.

"Aww, what's the matter?" She taunted. "Is the great Dimethos afraid of a girl?"

"You wish…" He said getting into a fighting stance. "Hey, you guys over there…" Dimethos looked over to us. "You are welcome to join in & I would recommend it cause soon…" He smiled. "There won't be a safe spot in this arena."

"Alright, gimme a sec." I pocketed the bag of cookies, & felt my Keyblades appear in my hands. I looked over to see Cloud, Squall, Sora, & Lloyd prepared to fight. "I hope this will last more than a couple of minutes." I laughed, I noticed that Lloyd enjoyed that little comment. The door opened & I noticed that a black haired Human walk in carrying a Dual-Edged Blade.

"Hey guys, mind if I join?" He asked, twirling the blade in his fingers as he advanced. "My name is Patrick."

"Not at all." I heard Dimethos say. "Just as long as you don't mind losing." Patrick chuckled.

**Zephyren's P.O.V**

I heard from Kratos that Cloud & Squall were in the sparring arena. I needed to meet up with them to see if they could help prepare me for the next stage. I had a feeling that I was going to be asked to fight in the next match regardless of whether or not it was a strategic match. But I was unprepared for what I saw when I entered the room. Everything was in disarray. Everyone was fighting each other all at once, I noticed that the people fighting were: Dimethos the Hedgehog, Riana the Hedgehog, Squall Leonhart, Cloud Strife, Sora, Lloyd Raideka, Zephyran Raideka, Patrick Flaherty, Tifa Lockheart & Zell Dincht. I didn't hesitate to join in myself, this would be a great way to get stronger & prepare myself for the Instructor match ahead. I ran in wielding my blades, going for Dimethos first, who was blasting at Tifa with Chaos Energy. He quickly turned & kicked me in the ribs.

"You are too slow." He said warping to where I landed, & grabbing me by the neck. I winced as the fabric pulled at the stitches that needed to be removed. "Ahh, the Prince." He lifted me up so I was standing. "I see you're doing well…" He looked at me as I adjusted the shirt so it wouldn't pull the stitches. "Here, let me fix that." I kneeled down & let him touch my arm. His hands glowed green & I felt a surge of relief as he removed the stitches & healed the wound.

"Thanks, Dimethos…" I said rubbing my arm. "That's a lot better. Now, where were we?" I picked up the blades. "Hiya!" I swung the blade at him, watching him jump out of the way. I jumped to the left as a beam of energy shot at me from the right where Riana was standing.

"Hey Zephyren! Are you actually gonna fight this time?" She taunted. "Or are you going to run away since I'm a girl?"

"You're not worth my time Riana." I shouted back to her & jumped at Lloyd as he fought against Zephyran.

"Oh yeah?" I heard her whisper in my ear before I was thrown into Cloud. "Then I guess I'll just attack you till I am!" She jumped as Patrick swung at her. I rolled as Cloud swung at me.

"Gravira!" I heard Sora shout, finding that immediately after that I couldn't move my legs! I blocked a slash from cloud & then another coming from Sora behind me. I ducked another strike from Cloud & felt the vibration of the two swords clashing just centimetres above my head.

"Esuna!" I cried, feeling my legs go back to normal. I rolled out of the way as Sora attacked again. I looked up to find the Raideka twins advancing on me. Great. Two Dual-Wielding Keyblade Masters advancing on me. I decided to make the first move & launched a fireball loaded with electricity at them. Lloyd slashed it sideways but received the shock from the electricity, & dropped one of his Keyblades. That momentarily stopped him at least. Now for Zephyran, who was now changing into a black creature. His Keyblades had disappeared as he charged forward on all fours, moving blindingly fast. He ran behind me & I barely had time to jump away from him as he swiped at me. I had to get him to fight someone else, I couldn't handle something like this alone. Luckily for me, Squall jumped at us with light enveloping & extending his gunblade. I ducked & resisted the urge to cheer as I heard the blade hit Zephyran square in the chest, & knock him against the wall. I rolled backwards & steadied myself as I looked at Squall.

"Thanks for that, Squall!" I smiled & glanced back over to Zephyran, who was back to normal & shaking his head. "You helped me out, though I don't think that was intentional."

"You're right…" He said, getting into a ready stance. "I was aiming for you!" He charged dragging the gunblade & letting sparks fly. This match had just begun!

**CHAPTER 10 END!**


	11. Fight, Fight, With All Your Might!

**Chapter 11: Fight, Fight, With All Your Might!!**

**Cloud's P.O.V**

I jumped backwards landing sideways on one of the support beams as Lloyd slashed wildly at me. He swung at me again, & I sprang off the beam to the nearby wall. I shot off that one doing a back flip & slashing at his arm as I landed beside him. He blocked it & swung at me again, ducking halfway through his swing as a beam of energy flew past where his head had been moments ago & hit me in the chest.

"Gah!" I yelled as I hit the wall. I could taste blood in my mouth, but I paid no attention to it as I got up & charged at Riana. She jumped back & swung at me, her fists glowing with Chaos Energy. I ducked & punched upward with my freehand, knocking her back.

"Hiiiiiii-yaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" I heard behind me as I turned just in time to see Zell running towards me. I jumped sideways as he hit the support beam that had beside where I had just been, leaving a giant hole in it as dust flew everywhere. He turned & lunged at me, swinging with his fists. I swerved out of the way as Zephyren slashed at Zell with one of his talons. The Phoenix kept Zell occupied as I moved over to attack Riana again. She jumped up high, back flipping over me as Dimethos shot a beam of Chaos Energy forward. I ducked & pulled out a smaller sword with a handle guard. This sword was meant just for two-on-one situations like this, as Dimethos was charging forward. Riana, being the closer one, charged towards me also & I swung at her. She blocked the slash with her hands. I slashed behind me at Dimethos, who just managed to dodge the slash.

"Whoa!" Dimethos said with a smile on his face. "That was close! Do you mind trimming my quills while you're at it, Cloud?" I jumped out of the way as Riana tried to kick me. I jumped out of the way as Riana & Dimethos went to attack me at the same time. They were now locking fists with each other, but I didn't get time to rest as I heard electricity crackling behind me. I quickly turned to see Zephyren dragging his talon against the wall. He jumped at me & slashed with his electrically charged hand. I jumped out of the way, feeling the hair on the back of my neck stand on end as the electricity got close. When I landed, I looked up to find Squall slashing down at me. I held up my sword to block the oncoming attack, but to my surprise he squared his feet & landed on my sword. I launched him off towards Zephyren & watched as the two fought. My little breather was cut short though, as Tifa charged straight at me. I was forced to play defensively as my childhood friend swung at me.

"Fight back, Cloud!" She said, jumping forward like a spear, knocking me over. "Hah!" She yelled as she landed a punch on my face.

"Get off!!!" I shouted, kicking her back & forcing her off of me. Getting up, I readied my swords & jumped forward, making her go on the defensive.

**Lloyd's P.O.V**

"Too bad we can't use our true power…" I heard Lydolx sigh in my head. "This would be over faster then." I jumped out of the way of one of Zephyran's attacks as he slashed at me again.

"Come on, Lloyd!" He snarled. "Fight me!" He lunged again & I slashed down, hitting his back.

"How's that?" I said, sticking my tongue out at him. He slashed at me again with both swords & I blocked them. We were deadlocked. We looked around to see how everyone else was fairing. Zephyren was fighting wildly against Zell, who looked like he was going to pass out from a bad cut on his arm. Tifa & Cloud looked like they were constantly switching places in a game of cat & mouse. Squall was fighting Patrick, Squall was encased in water & it looked like he couldn't move. Dimethos & Riana were fighting each other while moving at blinding speeds. We looked back to each other & nodded.

"Yes!" I heard Lydolx cheer in my head as I felt power surge through my body. My feet lifted off the ground as I started to hover. I let the Keyblades fall out of my hands & levitate at my sides. My hair started to move as if a breeze was running through it. "Finally, you've stopped holding back!" Lydolx shouted as towards the two Anthros. They both shot off to the sides & started to circle me as I approached. I closed my eyes, waiting for the right moment.

"No!" I heard Dimethos shout as Riana charged towards me. I moved my right arm in a swinging motion towards her, the Keyblade hovering on my right lashed out, sending her into the already damaged support beam. I looked over to Dimethos, he was moving incredibly fast towards me. Everyone else seemed to slow down compared to him.

"Chaos Control won't work on me, Dimethos…" I sighed, moving my left hand up & making a spinning motion with it. The Keyblade moved quickly, mimicking my movements. To my surprised, Dimethos hit the Keyblade aside & punched me into the wall. I groaned & looked up to see a pupil less Dimethos surrounded by a purple aura above me. "Whoa!" I shot sideways as Dimethos brought his hands down blindingly fast on where I'd just been.

"Dad!" I heard Riana shout. "Calm down! I'm okay!" She grabbed his arm, only to be thrown at me. I caught her & set her gently back down on the ground.

"I don't think he's listening right now, Riana…" I looked over to the crazed hedgehog. He had a grin on his face & his quills were standing on end. "Zephyran!" I turned to see my brother shrouded in darkness. He looked at me with his head cocked to the side. I pointed over to 'Dark' Dimethos, who was now charging a large blast in his one hand. Zephyran nodded & dashed towards Dimethos taking him down with a swift kick. The two were moving incredibly fast. My eyes had a hard time keeping up, even in my Final Form.

"They're moving really fast," She was squinting trying to see them. "All I can see is the dust from where they're landing."

"Well anyways, Zephyran'll take care of him." I said turning to see Zephyren charge towards me after knocking Zell unconscious. I flew upwards, watching as Zephyren followed, electricity surging once again in his talons, this time however, accompanied by fire. I taunted him as he lashed his arm out at me, releasing an electrically charged fireball in the process. I flew to the right, narrowly avoiding the attack. I charged, sending a Keyblade out in front of me. He swerved left & I quickly countered by bringing the other Keyblade down on his wing. He screeched & plummeted to the ground, landing on Tifa & knocking her out. "That's two down." I thought to myself.

"Yeah," I heard my Nobody sigh. "But there's still Cloud, Squall, Zephyran, Sora, Patrick, Dimethos, & Riana to deal with."

"You called him Squall!" I cheered in my head as I dove towards the ground. "I don't want to hear you nagging about that anymore."

"Just shut up…" I heard Lydolx sigh again. "Otherwise, I'll take control."

"Fine, fine." I chuckled, advancing towards Patrick & Sora. The two jumped back as they saw me advancing.

"Final Form, huh?" Sora said, pulling his arms in. "Two can play at that game!" He let his arms fall back, a glass-like barrier erupted around him & shattered, revealing Sora in white clothes with two Keyblades floating around him, his body hovering above the ground as I was.

"I guess it's time for me to try out this new power then…" Patrick said, pulling a jug out from behind him. "Catch!" He shouted throwing the jug at me. I slashed at it before it could reach me & water erupted in front of me. The water drew back & enveloped itself around Patrick's body. "Now let's begin Round 2!" He roared, charging at me & Sora.

**Zephyran's P.O.V**

Darkness…swirling…pulling…fighting two battles...the darkness & the Anthro.

"Snap out of it!!!" I heard Razphyxen roar. Shaking my head, I looked at the power infused hedgehog in front of me. His body was cloaked in a purple aura.

"_His heart…I need his heart…" _My darkness beckoned me. Pulling at my existence. Trying to make me one of their own…a Heartless.

"After this, you're going to confront it once & for all…" My Nobody made no effort to hide the anger in his voice. "Got it?"

"Yeah, fine." I sighed. "Whatever…" I jumped aside as Dimethos launched a beam of purple Chaos Energy at me. I landed on all fours & shot forward, landing on him. I clawed blindly, moving faster than any human should. A kick to the back of my head sent me into the wall. "I'll have to use the portals to win this." I thought to myself & heard Razphyxen grunt in agreement.

I got up, seeing that Dimethos was walking towards me slowly. Turning to the wall that was behind me, I began climbing. His eyes followed me as I got to the top of the wall & I looked toward him, to my surprise he was _flying_ towards me! I quickly felt myself fade into the wall, emerging in another realm. I opened another portal & shot through it landing on Dimethos back as I did. I clawed at him again, he responded by grabbing my hair & slamming me against the ground in front of him. Again I faded, & again I clawed at him, this time disappearing before he could attack. I stopped for a second trying to see a pattern in how his attacks worked. He _let_ me attack him, & then he would hit me with something more powerful in response. I noticed white & black jagged cords starting to wrap around my arms.

"Move!" I heard Razphyxen shout. "Before the darkness consumes you!" I opened another portal & jumped through it, hoping to land on Dimethos & finish this little fight with him. I did land on Dimethos, however, when I looked around I found that everyone was congratulating each other & patting their backs.

"It's over?" I said, letting myself return to normal. "Already?"

"Already?" I heard Lloyd laugh. "You were gone for an hour!"

"That's great & all…" I heard Dimethos grunt. "Now, can you get off!?"

"Oops!" I said, getting off Dimethos & helping him up. "Sorry, forgot you were there. Wait, how did you get back to normal?" I questioned.

"I was acting." He shrugged. "I learned to control my power fully. But, in doing so…" He folded his arms. "I end up looking like I'm not in control & slightly psychopathic. Nice strategy, by the way." He looked at the claw marks on his arms. "I've never seen anyone use a portal like that & so effectively." I blushed & looked away at his comment.

"You've done well at controlling your power, Sora." Lloyd praised.

"That's true. You're much stronger than I remember." Squall said.

"You okay, Tifa?" I heard Zephyren say. "I'm really sorry for that. I shouldn't have responded to Lloyd's taunts."

"It's no problem really." Tifa responded. I looked over to see a smile on her face & feathers all over her. "No blood, no foul, right?" She said holding out her hand. They shook hands & walked out of the arena.

"Time to confront it, Zephyran…" I heard Razphyxen say. "Now."

"I know…" I sighed. "I don't have to like it though." I walked off to find somewhere to deal with my problem once & for all.

**CHAPTER 11 END!**


	12. Observations of the Observational

**Chapter 12: Observations of the Observational**

**Zephyren's P.O.V**

"Ow!" I cried. "You know, just because my wings aren't there normally, it doesn't mean that it doesn't hurt if they're hit." I rubbed my shoulder which was bleeding. "And you certainly didn't pull any punches either, Tifa."

"What do you mean?" She looked at me accusingly. "I didn't even go after you!"

"Yeah…" I ran my hands through my hair, watching drops of blood fall out of my hair. "But I could feel the energy in your attacks. There was one that Cloud had dodged & the wind that you had propelled in it continued on to me…" I pointed to a rip at the side of my slacks. "That wind would've destroyed my wings if that had been a direct hit."

"Sorry about that, Zephyren. I didn't mean to put that much force into the attack." She smirked. "I was holding back too."

"Y-you were holding back!" I yelled. "How the hell are you that strong!?"

"It's easy." Her smirk turned to a grin. "I have a lot of free time, so I train."

"But you don't even look like you do though!" I was in front of her holding up her arm. "I can't see any muscle at all! Unless…"

"Unless what?" She questioned.

"Are you hiding all that power in your bosom?" I stared at her chest.

"What!" She yelled at me. "Are you serious?"

"Aha! I knew that's why they were so big!" The smile that was on my face quickly disappeared as Tifa punched at me. "Hey, come on! It was a joke!" I hopped left as she lunged at me again. It was a trick! She shot out her leg as I landed & hit me in the chest. Her face turned from anger to concern as more blood dripped onto my face.

"Are you okay?" She asked, kneeling next to me. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hit you that hard."

"No problem…" I groaned as I got up. I ran my hands through my hair again, finding more blood there now. "I got to go get my head checked, I think that fall did more damage than I thought." I staggered, leaning against the wall for support.

"I'll go with you." She put my arm around her neck. "You don't look like you're in any condition to walk all that way alone."

"Speak for yourself." I looked over at her leg which had a deep cut in it. "You don't look like you should be walking with that leg either."

"Dilly dally, shilly shally." She said shaking her head. "Either way, we've got a ten minute walk ahead of us."

**Melissa's P.O.V**

"That was the best meal ever!" I said, cleaning the blood away from my mouth in the stream. "I mean, how often do you get to eat panther meat?" I glanced over to the tree that Raziel was under. He was still feeding off the Human we picked up earlier. I could hear him gulping down the blood greedily.

"That was good." He said. "He had good blood." I looked at him with my hands on my hips. "What? It tasted good!"

"You're ignoring my question!" I started to tap my foot, shivering when I heard the man's heart falter. "I mean, I know you're hungry & all. But that's the fourth one today!" I looked at my watch. "And we only left Eternia yesterday! You had how many meals in that other city?" I was glaring at him now.

"Okay then, I don't know how often people get panther meat to eat." He said, scratching his shoulder. "I had about seven meals yesterday, & you're right." He sighed. "I've had my fill. We should head back now."

"Yeah, we should!" I said, hiding the shock of him agreeing to return to Eternia so soon. "Besides, the tournament date may have changed. It could be today!"

"You're just saying that to try & convince me to open the portal faster." He wagged a finger in my face. I blinked, not understanding where he was going with this. "Zephyren, you looked so good today! The way you showed that mean old water who's boss!" He mimicked my voice with his hands together. I kicked his shin, causing him to hop up & down.

"That's not why!" I yelled. "Now hurry up & open the portal, dummy!"

"Alright, alright." He sighed, clasping his hands together. A portal appeared in front us & we stepped through, leaving the forest behind us.

**Raziel's P.O.V**

When we arrived at Eternia we were greeted by two new faces. One was a male with silver hair. The other was a female that had black hair with silver streaks. Judging from the way their hearts beat, I assumed they were Human. But something was off & I couldn't place my finger on it.

"Welcome to Eternia…" The male bowed. "My name is Veil Lennian & this is Lyndis Nelion. We've been expecting your return Mister & Miss Severon." They held out their hands & we shook. Their hands felt weird…not like skin. More like satin.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." I said, not really pleased to even be near them.

"This is normally Cadence & Serenade's outpost." Melissa said, looking around. "Where are they?"

"They're taking a break off of their guard duties to set up the next two rounds of the tournament. We've been asked to substitute for them." Lyndis replied.

"I haven't seen you around before though." Melissa said. "I've even applied for classes to become a guard & I haven't seen either of you in them." I looked at her, surprise on my face.

"We asked for some fresh experience from the field." Veil replied. "And so, we were granted special permission from Reikourin himself."

"Okay." Melissa said. "Well, we won't keep you. Come on, Raziel." She gestured for me to follow her into the Academy.

"I never knew you applied to be a Guardian. Why didn't you tell me?" I asked once I was positive they wouldn't be able to hear us.

"Because I _didn't_ apply to be a Guardian." She sighed. "Are you kidding me? Can you imagine me sitting in an outpost all day?" An image of Melissa going crazy from boredom popped into my head.

"I see what you mean." I snickered. "But then, why did you say that?" I was confused; it wasn't like my sister to say something like that.

"I don't know." She responded, looking at the ground. "I just didn't trust them, y'know?" She shook her head. "Something about them set my skin crawling all over, as if I was constantly changing back & forth between a wolf & a human."

"Yeah, something wasn't right about them." I said, looking behind me. "Their skin felt weird too."

"Mmm-hmm." Melissa nodded. "Their eyes were cloudy also. Do you know what that means?"

"They had a blind person's eyes?" I said, now remembering the cloudy gray eyes of the one called Veil. "But they could see us!" Melissa nodded again.

"We'd best not dwell on it." She rubbed her head. "After all, all this thinking is hurting my head." She winked & entered the bathroom. I continued on to our room, thinking about what she had said.

**Cadence's P.O.V**

"No!" I screamed at the engineer in front of me. "Move it down more! We can't have the competitors being able to solve this thing easily!" I released my wings from my back letting my grey feathers ruffle in the wind. "Never mind, I'll do it myself." I flew up & dragged the wall several meters so that it'd be closer to some of the other walls.

"Wow!" I heard a girl behind me shout. I turned to see Keira heading towards me. "So this is gonna be the next challenge?" She questioned.

"What are you doing here?" I asked. "It's dangerous here, & besides only organizers are allowed to see the next round before it happens."

"Kratos told me to come see if you needed any help." She said, still walking forward. "Doesn't look like it though."

"I don't, now you need to get out of here because these walls are unstable & if one falls you could become a pancake!" I said, releasing the stone I was holding.

"Cadence!" I heard another girl shout. "I heard from Reikourin! He said you can go through with it!" A second later a girl with brown skin & red streaked hair came into the room. She jumped up, revealing purple/black wings & landed on the wall, causing it to fall towards Keira!

"Damn!" I said to myself, flying straight towards the wall. I wouldn't make it in time, but I had to try right? I was cursing in my head like crazy, saying things like 'Please don't die!' & 'Serenade, you stupid little…'. Well, you can finish the rest of that one by adding your own little inappropriate adjective. The room shook as the wall hit the ground. I turned to Serenade, who was flying on the spot & glared at her. She had an 'Oops!' look on her face.

"Well, at least the girl ain't dead." Serenade said, shrugging as I glared at her.

"What?" I said incredulously, looking over to where Keira had been standing. Then I noticed the shadow of a person's head mixed in with the shadow of the wall. I shot down towards the ground & landed. What I saw was unbelievable. Keira had turned into a grey Phoenix & was holding up the wall, not with her hands though. _She was just looking at it!_ The next thing I knew, the wall was being lifted up & after several seconds was back in the exact spot it was before it had fallen.

"Hey!" The Phoenix said. "Does this mean I'm stronger than Zephyren now?" The bird's eyes turned to human ones & I rushed forward to catch Keira as she reverted to normal.

**CHAPTER 12 END!**


	13. A Looooooong Day

**Chapter 13: A Long Day…**

**Shadow's P.O.V**

"So tomorrow's the day of the tournament?" The teenager asked.

"Yeah, I heard that one of the puzzles is going to be a maze…" Another teenager replied. "And the maze will slowly fill with monsters as time passes."

The conversation drifted off as I passed through another hall. I sighed as the minutes seemed to last hours. "It's going to be one of those days…" I said to myself, letting my feet carry me forward, not paying to much attention to where I was going. The ring on my wrist vibrated. I grabbed the phone that was hidden underneath it & clicked the 'Talk' button.

"Shadow, report to the Sparring Arena." I heard a female voice say on the other end. There was a click as the line went dead.

"The Sparring Arena?" I thought to myself. "Why do I need to go there?" Regardless, I had already started running to my destination as I was looking forward to passing the time. Not exactly wise running there, since that didn't consume much time. Though, I find people tend to consume a lot of time just by doing things that shouldn't consume much time at all.

"That was quick." The woman laughed. "I didn't expect anyone to run for a cleaning duty."

"I wasn't told it was for cleaning…" I sighed. "So, my long day just got longer now because I have to do some boring chore?"

"Looks like it…" The woman said, opening the door & letting me in. "Have fun!" She finished in a teasing tone as the door shut behind her again. I turned & looked at the arena. I'll describe the room this way for you: If you could make a room (made entirely of concrete & titanium mind you) look like a pincushion, then whoever was in here last had certainly achieved that.

"What the hell happened?" I said out loud as I looked around at the cracked metal pillars & nearly obliterated walls.

"Are you Shadow?" A blond-haired girl said, landing in front of me. I nodded. "Excellent!" She exclaimed, clasping her hands together. "My name is Colette Brunel, pleased to meet you. We need you help cleaning up, could you bend the support beams back to normal & mend the cracks?" She gestured over to the three of the four support beams that were barely supporting the ceiling overhead. I looked up to see blue-haired woman holding her hands up, a multi-coloured shield holding a cracked roof.

"And could you do it quickly?" The blue-haired woman shouted. "My arms are starting to get sore & I'm hungry."

"That's Maria Traydor." Colette said. "She's holding the wall carefully, you know, in case it starts to fall." She smiled. "We've been working for an hour or so and~"

"Colette! Stop talking to him so he can fix the beams!!!" Maria screamed.

"Sorry!" Colette answered & went back to work on fixing the walls. I reluctantly started towards the pillars. This day seemed to promise me that it'd be a long one.

**???'s P.O.V**

The landscape around me whirled as I entered the warped atmosphere of the portal in front of me. There was a soft thud as my feet hit the ground. I had landed on the roof of what appeared to be a school of sorts. I walked to the edge of the building. I heard my companion land behind me & walk over to where I was standing. We looked down together, watching the people wander around, unaware of our presence.

"Wooooooooooow!" My companion said. "So many different types!" He looked over at me with a grin on his face.

"Yeah, now all we need to do is get down there." I rubbed my hands through my lime-green hair. "Without getting hurt." Looking towards one of the entrances on the ground, I noticed a new portal had opened & a black haired male was jumping out of it.

"Hey, Neku! Lookie! Lookie!" My friend was pointing to the new arrival & jumping up & down.

"Yeah, I see him, Veran." I sighed as my companion continued to jump up & down.

"That's Slate isn't it?" He questioned. His tail was moving very fast. He didn't bother waiting for me to answer as he jumped off of the building.

"God damn it, Veran! You can't just jump off of a building, when you don't know where we are!" I jumped after him head first, so I could see where everything was. Veran had already landed on all fours & was charging towards the vampire. I did a minor flip as I landed on my feet. I ran after him, not wanting to draw more unneeded attention. Veran was already pushing a finger on Slate's chest.

"You've got a lot of explaining to do!" I heard Veran shouting as I finally caught up.

"I don't need to _explain_ anything!" He said, pushing Veran back. "Why are the two of you following me!?"

"Veran, stop it!" I yelled, grabbing his tail & causing him to hiss.

"You're here too!" Slate groaned. "I'll ask again. Why are you two following me?"

"We aren't…" I was holding Veran back to stop him from pouncing on the Vampire. "We just managed to find our way here & you just so happened to get here right after we did." I let Veran go as he finally stopped struggling.

"Well then, if you're not following me then how'd you get here?" Slate asked.

"Not really sure, to be honest with you…" I closed my eyes trying to remember. "After you beat us, & you opened the portal to leave. We tried to follow you, but the portal closed & then shortly after another one opened. Then this idiot…" I nodded to Veran, who grinned mischievously. "Decided to jump through."

"Well then, you should go see Kratos." Slate pointed towards the giant double doors at the front of the building we'd just jumped off of. "He'll get you organized. Now if you'll excuse me."

"Who'd you think Kratos is?" Veran asked, looking at me. I shrugged.

"I guess we'll find out, won't we?" I wandered towards the building, wondering what it could hold.

**Zephyren's P.O.V**

I began to feel itchy as the doctor summoned Dimethos to heal my head. He had said something like the wound being too deep & Dimethos being the only to heal it without causing more damage. Tifa was getting her legs treated in the bed next to mine.

"Why do they have to use that gel?" She sniffed, sneezing shortly after. "I mean, I can't take any deep breaths or anything."

"I know!" I agreed, sneezing shortly after as the fumes from it reached my nose. "I mean, the stuff helps relax you & all but..." I was cut short as I sneezed again. "It's not worth all the sneezing!"

"It seems we banged you up pretty good." Dimethos said as he entered the room. "I mean, how bad could it have been for me to have to heal you twice in a single day?"

"Well, _excuse_ _me_ for not being able to heal ridiculously fast." I replied, rolling my eyes at the anthropomorphic annoyance.

"Relax…" He sighed as he walked behind me & looked at the wound. "I was only joking. Now you're going to feel itchy for a bit."

"Going to feel? I already am itchy!" I snapped at him. "Just get it over with!"

"I'm already done." He said, walking to my front. My head exploded at that point. I screamed as the back of my head got really, & I mean _really,_ itchy. The itch subsided gradually & I looked over to see that Tifa had fallen asleep.

"She's a good fighter." Dimethos said folding his arms. "I was surprised initially, but for her to be such an adept Wind Elementalist." He chuckled. "You'll have your hands full with her."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"She's accepted Reikourin's offer to be one of your opponents in the Instructor match." He replied, getting up to leave. My jaw dropped & despite my efforts, I couldn't get it back up. "Well, good luck." He waved farewell as he departed, leaving me there dumbfounded.


	14. Round Two Fight! Wait What?

**Chapter 14: Round Two, Fight! Wait, What?**

_The next day…_

Zephyren woke up as he heard a banging on the door to his room. He looked over to the clock which read eleven thirty.

"Crap, I'm late!" He cried, dashing out of bed. As he opened the door he saw Sonic waiting for him.

"Finally!" Sonic shouted as they both dashed down the hall. "They're giving you about ten more minutes before they start."

"Thanks for waking me..." Zephyren looked down & chuckled. "I'm glad I decided to sleep in my clothes."

"Yeah..." Sonic nodded as they took a left & made a mad dash towards the coliseum doors in front of them. "Good luck!" The blue hedgehog took off to the where the spectators were waiting for their last participant. The guard opened the door as Zephyren entered. Everyone's eyes followed him in silence as he reached the podium. Waiting for him was Reikourin, along with Melissa, Slate, Raziel, & Patrick.

"Sorry..." Zephyren panted. "I slept in." He took a deep breath, waiting for Reikourin to reprimand him as he had in the past. But, as he looked up he saw that Reikourin was in fact smiling.

"At last..." Reikourin said, turning to the crowd. "Our competitors are all here. Though there is some physical strength required, this round will basically test your mental capabilities." He looked at Patrick as he said the last sentence. "Now, for the rules." Several small keys appeared in his hands. "Each of you will be placed in a completely random location in a labyrinth. Your objective is to find one of the ways out." He handed each of the five warriors a key. "But there is a catch. The maze walls will change over time & each key can only open one specific door. So, if you choose the wrong door..." He closed his eyes & chuckled. "Well then, the key will disintegrate & the door will burst into flames."

"What!?" Slate gasped. "But then, how the hell do we get out? You said it was a test of the mind, not a test of luck!"

"Slate..." Reikourin sighed. "Everything in life requires some degree of luck. This trial is no exception. Now, let me finish. If your key disintegrates, then there is another way to get you & everyone else out." The warriors looked hopeful at Reikourin's words. "If you manage to defeat me then _everyone_ will continue onto the next round." He smiled as the challengers faces went into shock. "Don't worry. I won't use my full power on you. Moving on, fiends will be continuously released throughout the labyrinth. Hope you all make it to the next round. Farewell!" The competitors disappeared as a light engulfed them & Reikourin.

The spectators looked at the screen as each fighter appeared one by one & a map was displayed in the corner.

**Slate's P.O.V**

I found myself surrounded by three walls. It was dark, but my enhanced senses allowed me to see ahead easily. I walked forward where the path split two directions. I turned to the left & preceded down the wall, I began to turn around the oncoming corner when I heard a sizzling sound. My instincts took hold as I slowly advanced to the wall & peeked around the corner. As I poked my head around the corner a ball of flame shot towards me! I pulled my head out of the way just in time to see the flame disperse as it hit the wall. I waited there; & as I reached into my satchel another fireball flew by. I guessed that they were timed to fire at certain intervals.

"Great…" I sighed. "Not only are there monsters in here. There are also traps." I took out the claws from my pouch & put them on. I'd need to be ready, just in case a fire elemental monster was mixed in with this trap. I waited for another fireball to go by before I jumped into the next hall. I charged forward. I jumped into the nearby space as a fireball flew at me from the opposite wall. I continued running as soon as it passed, ignoring the next safety point. Another fireball started towards me. The next safety point was about five meter. I put on an extra burst of speed as I lunged for the space. I was going to make it…

But a Dragon dropped in front of me as I neared my destination! The fireball blaze through me & continued onward. The flames scorched my body & I patted out the flames of my clothes, trying to ignore the pain.

Then I realized; a fireball wasn't what hit me…it was the dragon's flames! It was the one shooting the fireballs at me! I was at the end of the corridor, but the monster blocked my way. I looked up at the massive reptile, its golden eyes glared at me hungrily; the creature's black tongue licked its scaly cyan lips.

"Man…" I grimaced. "You're ugly!" I covered my ears as the dragon roared at my comment. "Could you move over a bit? I kinda need to get through." The dragon shot a wave of fire at me this time & I had to jump back so I wouldn't become a barbequed snack. Pain flared throughout my body as I did & I looked down at my legs to see that the fire had done a large amount of damage.

I looked up & saw that the dragon had taken to the air now. I ran forward, feeling the adrenaline build up in me. The dragon swooped down so that it was low enough to reach me if I tried to run underneath, but I continued running. Its claws slashed at me as I rolled out of the way & kept going until I was directly underneath it. I jumped with my claws stretched out above me; the monster screeched in pain as I crawled along its side & onto its back. I continued crawling as I reached the top, & I went down to its neck.

"Bon voyage!" I jeered as I allowed myself to swing around its neck, the claws cutting deeper with each rotation. Finally the creature fell to the floor & I was launched into the wall. "Slate one, Dragon nothing." I said, brushing myself off & uncorking a potion to heal my body.

**Melissa's P.O.V**

I jumped forward as the wall ahead of me started turning. I made it through just as it closed & found myself in an even worse situation than being lost. Before me were several Bombs (monsters made out of a ball of fire that slowly expand themselves as they are hurt, eventually exploding) & they were blocking my path. I walked towards them, muffling my footsteps as much as possible.

The first one spotted me & cried out in alarm. The others immediately advanced onto my position. They stopped a few meters apart from each other & several meters in front of me. I backed up slowly, eventually coming to the wall that had closed earlier. They moved in closer to me now, slowly expanding themselves. I placed my hands on the ground & bowed my head. I heard them chuckle & I gave into them; I knew it was a lost cause…

Yeah right! As they advanced closer to me, they also edged closer together, just a bit more &…BOOM! Two of the Bombs touched each other & blew up! Luckily they were closer to the back. Not exactly what I had planned, but I'll take it! I made two columns of earth rise out of the ground one in front of me & another behind them. I made more of the earth rise as I slowly closed them in, forcing them to join together. The columns I had made broke as the Bombs exploded & I was sent flying back into the wall, I tasted blood & felt some run into my closing eyes; everything went black afterwards.

"Melissa?" A voice called. "Get up!" The voice demanded. It wasn't one I had heard before. I opened my eyes to see that I had changed into a wolf. As I looked around I noticed that I was in a forest. When did I get here? The last thing I remembered was fighting Bombs. There was a shuffling behind me.

"Who's there?" I called, afraid because my heightened senses should have caught on to someone being behind me. I sniffed the air. Only the smell of dirt & various plants was in the air.

"My name is Rika…" The voice said as a woman appeared from the trees. "Please, I won't harm you. You may return to your human state." She lifted her hands in a peace gestured & smiled.

"Okay…" I turned back to normal, examining the woman in the process. She had sandy brown hair & tanned skin. Her clothes seemed awfully rigid & looked uncomfortable. "How did I get here anyways?" I asked as my muzzle reverted back to a human mouth.

"This is my home. Technically, you are still unconscious in the maze at Eternia." She walked towards me & placed a hand on my shoulder. "Therefore, we must be brief. You have awakened my spirit within you…" She closed her eyes as her hands started to glow a golden-yellow colour. "My power is now yours so use it wisely, as your predecessor did." The rest of her body began to glow as her hands had. Her body turned to sand & slowly crept around me.

"What's happening?" I said panicking. The sand was now wrapped entirely around me & was seeping into my skin. As I looked around I noticed the forest was fading. My eyes felt heavy as the rest of the sand embedded itself in my skin. I let my eyes close, too much of an effort to keep them open…

"Melissa! Get up!" Someone was screaming at me, shaking me. "Melissa!" I opened my eyes to see that Patrick was standing over me. "Are you alright?" He asked, helping me to my feet.

"Yeah…" I looked around to see that two of the other walls had broken from the Bomb's blast. "Just had a weird dream…" Patrick looked at me.

"Did you meet someone in that dream?" He asked. "And did they say something about giving you their power or something similar?"

"Yeah…" I said. "Maybe this is what Reikourin meant."

"What do you mean?" He started walking ahead, I followed him. "What did Reikourin say?"

"He said that my brother & I both have the 'spirits' of the Gods of Earth & Wind in us. He also said they were twins too." I sighed, recalling the event.

"I see…" We took a left, walking down that corridor. "So, Water & Earth have been released. What does that leave us with then?" He asked looking towards me.

"Well, we've at least got Light, Darkness, & Wind." I said, not entirely sure whether or not Raziel had the same thing happen to him already.

"How do you know that?" Patrick took another left & we found ourselves at a four-way intersection.

"Well, Zephy has Darkness, Reikourin told us that Keira has Light, & Raziel has Wind. That would make five out of the nine elements, right?" I started to count them on my fingers.

"Yeah…" Patrick nodded. "Anyways, which way should we go?" He looked to the other three paths. "Ladies' choice."

"You're _such_ a gentleman." I replied sarcastically. "I'm going straight ahead. Please don't follow me."

"Why not?" He asked, looking hurt. "Why shouldn't we stick together?"

"Cause if we find a door, only one key will work on it & if we both try our keys & they don't work then we're screwed. Also, I'm assuming each door only lets one person in." I turned & started down the path I had chosen. "So it's better that we don't weigh each other down. Later!" I waved, leaving Patrick to choose his own path.

**Raziel's P.O.V**

The Ahriman screeched as I dug my scythe into its left wing. The creature fell, its other wing was flapping vigorously, trying to keep itself airborne. I ripped the scythe out & delivered another swing, this time directed at the large eye of the creature. The monster's body went limp & faded away afterwards. I continued where I left off & turned the corner, finding a door! Happiness surged through me as I advanced. My fingers stroked the door as I reached it. I placed the key into the lock and…it disintegrated!

"Damn!" I said, backing away as the door burst into flames, leaving a wall in its place. "I really hate this labyrinth." I sighed & continued back the way I came, this time taking the other route. I wander aimlessly, not really paying attention to where I was going, but scratching each intersection so I'd know where I'd already been. I was about to turn another corner when I heard fighting. I stopped, edging myself closer to the corner & peeked around. What I saw was…I can't describe it. It was like watching the most graceful thing, but at the same time it was horrible. Zephyren & Slate were fighting Reikourin for everyone to get out, but at the same time they were fighting each other for the other's key.

"Stop!" Zephyren snapped as Slate went to attack him again. "I'm not going to fight you!"

"Then give me your key so I can get out!" Slate roared as he lunged. "I need that key!"

"No! You've got your own!" I saw his eyes flicker over to where I was. A smile flashed across his face as he looked over to Reikourin, who nodded. Reikourin knew I was here too! There goes any chance I had to surprise them if I intervened. "You should be helping me!" I heard Zephyren say to Slate. "We all win if we defeat him…" He took out his key. "And I don't know about you, but I want all the help I can get in the next round." He grasped the key with both hands…_and broke it in half!_

"Are you stupid?" Slate questioned. "How are you gonna get out now!?"

"Didn't you listen to what I just said?" Zephyren questioned. "I plan on getting us all out of here at once! You can help if you want…" He turned towards Reikourin. "Or you can run away like a coward." Slate hissed at Zephyren, but turned to Reikourin also.

"Well done, Zephyren." Reikourin praised, clapping loudly. "An excellent strategy but, can you pull it off?" He held up his hands as a purple light appeared around them. The light flew towards Zephyren, catching him off guard. "There, I have unsealed Nexion's power within you. Now we can fight on fair terms."

"What!" Zephyren screamed. "Do you have any idea what you've done!?"

"Relax…" Reikourin said, raising his hands. "I did not release the seal placed on Nexion himself, only on his power. Now you can use that power without his influence." Zephyren roared & charged, I ran forward at this point, grabbing Zephyren by the arms.

"Don't fall for his taunts. He's trying to goad you into an early defeat." I whispered. Zephyren relaxed & moved back with me to where Slate was.

"Three on one then?" Reikourin asked.

"Hey Raziel…" Zephyren spoke, a grin spreading across his face. "Remember what we used to do to scare the newcomers?" I chuckled, remembering the past.

"Think it'll work?" I asked. "I mean, we're fighting Reikourin & all."

"What are you two talking about?" Slate asked, looking more confused than ever. "What are you two planning?"

"You'll see…" Zephyren & I spoke in unison. "When we make our move you charge forward, got it?" Zephyren transformed & I felt the wind ripple around my body. Dark flames & electricity sprouted all over Zephyren's avian form. I used the wind to lift the electrically charged flames off of Zephyren & launched them at Reikourin. Slate charged through the flames & I used the wind to wrap them around him. Zephyren kept the fire at bay so it wouldn't burn him. Slate slashed at Reikourin with one of his claws as he got close. Reikourin swerved to the right & I used the wind to send the flames at Reikourin's arms.

"G-g-g-g-g-raaaaah!" Reikourin cried as the flames razed & zapped his body. Slate sliced again, this time hitting the burning warrior in the chest. The claws pierced the aquatic armour & left a deep cut. Reikourin fell to his knees, clutching his chest. "Y-you've done well." He said. "I was prepared for the fire, but the electricity was something I had not…" He groaned as he stood. "Anticipated; I guess it's time for me to get serious." The cut hadn't healed, though the flow of blood had stopped.

"Well…" I sighed. "At least he's no longer underestimating us."

"And that's supposed to be a good thing?" Slate asked. Zephyren nodded in response.

**Keira's P.O.V**

There were footsteps. Dozens of them & they followed me, wherever I went. I broke into a run, realizing that I was holding someone's hand. I looked & saw a light, a woman, holding my hand.

"Run!" She screamed. "Run away! They're coming!" She swung me in front of her & pushed me forward. The footsteps had stopped. All I heard was the single beating of wings. As I watched the woman stand, arms spread, I saw what had been chasing us. It was a human-sized bird, a _Phoenix_. The bird landed, purple flames scorching across its body.

"Keira, come here…" I heard an all too familiar voice as the Phoenix turned to Zephyren & the flames died down. "Please?" I found myself moving forward, despite the woman's best efforts to stop me. "That's it." He beckoned me forward, his arms outstretched. The woman grabbed me.

"You have the power to stop him…" She said, her body glowing. "But you mustn't succumb to him." Her body was turning transparent. "If you do, all will be lost & _he_ will win. Everything will end, this world, the natural world, even time. I hope you will make the right choice. I, Verina, grant you my power, do as you desire with it." The light that had replaced her body melded with my being.

"She's coming 'round." I heard Cadence speak. "It seems like she's _awoken_ too." I opened my eyes. I was in the infirmary at Eternia. "Hey, how are ya feeling?" Cadence asked, waving a hand in my face.

"I'm fine, just had a weird dream. Why am I here anyways?" I asked, trying to recall.

"Well, to put it simply you turned into your beast form, lifted a wall using Light elemental abilities & passed out." She said as if it was perfectly normal.

"I did what!?" I gasped. "So that means…" I remembered what Kratos had mentioned to me before. "Am I able to transform at anytime now?" I asked, looking at my hands.

"You should be able to…" She said getting up & heading to the exit. "Come on, Zephyren has started the second Trial. Didn't you want to see it?" I jumped when I heard that & ran off towards Kratos office as quickly as I could; Cadence was running beside me though it seemed like there was no effort put into her strides.

When we got to the office, Kratos was standing near the couch & was staring at the huge screen on the wall. "Ahh, Keira..." He gestured to the chair on his left, opposite the couch. "I was wondering when you were going to get here. It would've been a shame for you to miss out." I sat down on the chair & looked at the monitor; it showed Zephyren, Raziel, Patrick, & Slate on the screen. All of them were staring at something offscreen.

"I'll come get you afterwards, Keira…" Cadence spoke. "I'll teach you how to control your powers & how to turn into your beast form at will."

"Okay…" I said, not really paying attention to her. "See you later." The monitor moved over to Reikourin. He was cut all over, his hair was ragged & falling over his face, & he was panting. The ground around him shot up into a pillar, the camera panned out to reveal the four looking surprised. There was a rumbling as the ground surrounding Reikourin shattered & fell. Melissa appeared from the right side of the screen.

"Miss me boys?" She cheered. "I couldn't let you have all the fun!" She winked at Patrick.

**Reikourin's P.O.V**

"It's a shame…" I spoke, keeping up the ruse of being exhausted. "I wouldn't have thought that you five were the type to toy with your opponents, except for you Mr. Feral." He glared at me as I said that. "I'd expect it from you merely because I can see Nexion in you; the two of you are surprisingly similar." I chuckled.

"Shut up!" Zephryen roared, jumping towards me & slashing. "I'm not like him & I never will be!" I jumped out of the way, landing on the pile of rubble behind me. I kicked him in the chest, knocking him over.

"You see, he got angered easily too. He was really overconfident like you too…" I laughed, feeling my wounds close & the itching cease. "I think I'll kick it up a notch now." I manifested a dual-bladed axe in my hands. "Think you can handle it?" I nodded to Slate. "You look pretty worn out."

"That's what you think!" He shouted, grabbing a red vial out of his bag & drinking its contents. "Here guys, this'll help us." He passed another four of them around. They drank the fluid & after several seconds they looked completely revitalized.

"I see that you planned ahead, Mr. Xio." I said acidly. "Bringing elixirs with you, well done." I clapped my hands. "Now, are we going to fight one on one or five on one?" My five opponents looked at each other & I saw a hazy version of my disciples in them. Raziel's was hazier then most. "One moment…" I said. They glared at me, assuming I was going to attack when they were off-guard. "Raziel…" I spoke again & he stepped forward.

"What?" He snarled, taking a defensive stance.

"Why hasn't Kryonas awoken in you yet?" I asked curiously. "You have more than enough potential to draw him forth. Why does his power still lie untouched?" He flinched as I mentioned my student.

"Untouched…" Raziel chuckled. "I don't know…" He took a couple of steps closer. "You tell me!" He roared as a typhoon generated around him. He charged forward, still surrounded by the large tornado. I jumped out of the way as the wind blew the rubble into the nearby walls, destroying them. "He's been with me for as long as I can remember!"

"Melissa, Patrick, do you still have your keys?" I heard Zephyren ask. I glanced sideways to see them nod. "Okay, give them to Slate…" The two looked at him, confused. Slate looked incredulous.

"Stop running!" Raziel roared, wind pushing against my back, trying to propel me towards him.

"Why? I can fight!" Slate cried; he had two keys in his hands.

"You'll get in our way. We may be able to channel our elements through you, but we are immobile when we do & thus, vulnerable. You wouldn't be able to keep up with the match, it doesn't matter if you're a Vampire or not." Zephyren replied icily.

"I'm staying…" Slate said, crushing the two keys, he reached into his pocket pulling out the destroyed mess of his key. "If you don't like it, tough." He said, rushing towards me. I jumped over Raziel, flying upwards as the currents of air lifted me. Slate jumped up, following me.

**Zephyren's P.O.V**

"You wanted him to fight without the temptation to leave, didn't you?" Patrick asked. I nodded, a smile spreading on my face.

"I didn't think it would actually work though…" I sighed. "Now it's all a matter of seeing whether or not he'll actually get in the way or not."

"Yep…" Melissa said, her face changing to that of a wolf. "Now, are we starting?" She looked ready to jump out of her skin.

"Definitely…" I replied. "We can't go along with any sort of plan though."

"Yeah…" Patrick said, pulling out his dual-bladed sword. "He'd be able to tell what we would be doing anyways."

"That's not what I meant…" I whispered. "I mean if we just wing it then it'll confuse him & will most likely give us more chances to strike." I pulled out my blades. "Ready?" I yelled. The two nodded & we joined the fray.

I felt the familiar dark power build in me as the battle raged. This time however, there was no voice. I felt like a shaken bottle of soda pop; ready to burst at any moment at the overflow of power. I could feel the urge to use the darkness & finish this fight quickly, but thought better of it. I deflected Reikourin's attack & jumped sideways as a stalagmite appeared where I had just been. The rock hit Reikourin, knocking him towards Slate. The young Vampire stepped out of the way of the incoming 'projectile'; he grabbed him by the arm & threw him to Raziel. Raziel stop Reikourin in front of him & spun him in spiral-like manner, causing minor cuts in him with his scythe, toying with him.

Columns rose around Reikourin & Raziel jumped back as another rose where he had just been. The columns started to collapse inwards. After several seconds they fell.

"That was very well done…" We heard Reikourin say as the rubble started to shake & he emerged. "It's my turn now!" He charged towards Slate & pinned him to the ground. He punched him a couple of times & threw him in my direction. I caught him & placed him on his feet, he looked exhausted; he wouldn't be able to keep up with the rest of us much longer. I looked over to Melissa to see her dodging & deflecting most of Reikourin's attacks. Patrick had taken out his gourd & poured it onto himself. Patrick charged in to help Melissa after she took a blow to the chest & was now suffering a heavy beating from Reikourin.

"Stop it!" Raziel & I roared as darted to our allies' rescue. Raziel used the wind to lift Reikourin off as I pulled her away.

"Sorry…I got…overconfident…" She choked out as she reverted back to her human form. "I guess…I'll…have to sit…the rest of…this out." I nodded & carried her to the wall & rested her against it.

"_Seems like you do need my help…_" I heard a familiar voice say inside me.

"I sealed you away!" I replied. "How are you out?" I got up & grabbed my blades.

"_Did you really think you had enough strength to seal me away forever?_" Nexion chuckled. "_Don't worry; I won't take over this time. Consider it an early birthday present._"

I felt a surge of dark power in me as I felt my wings spread. I looked at my face in the reflection of one of my swords. I was still human! But the wings were there. As strange as it was, I didn't have time to think about it as I saw Patrick & Raziel had been forced into a corner by Reikourin. I flew forward (literally) & grabbed Reikourin.

"Get the other two out of here!" I cried as Reikourin struggled. "Quickly! I'm unleashing 'it'!" Reikourin broke free & punched me. I staggered backwards, but I flapped my wings to stop me from falling. I looked to see Raziel & the others had already disappeared.

"I see that you have attained your 'Hyper' Beast Form." Reikourin gasped, wiping blood from his lip. I flipped my swords backwards so the blades were against my arms.

"Dark…" My swords were glowing purple, fire & electricity surrounding them. "Rendering!" I slashed the air releasing two giant waves of dark energy forward. The attack engulfed the area & Reikourin, exploding after several seconds. As the dust from the attack settled, there stood Reikourin…& he was laughing!

"Superb, Zephyren!" He cheered. "Incredibly well done! I didn't think you had it in you!" He walked towards me. All of his hostility was gone. "I surrender! Congratulations on passing Round Two!"

**CHAPTER 14 END!**


	15. Trouble, Trouble! Why, There's Double!

**Chapter 15: Trouble! Trouble! Why…There's Even Double!**

**Veran's P.O.V**

I often wondered about where my life would take me, although, having a tail & animal ears kinda hinders that but, I still tried to live an average life.

"Veran! Stop daydreaming & send an electric current through the water!" Kratos yelled. I quickly did as I was told & placed my fingers on the water, I watched as several fish popped out of the water, twitching. "You put too much into it!" Kratos snapped at me. Ever since Neku & I met Kratos I've been through nothing but Elemental Training (E.I. for short) & only got to see each other at night. Even then I'd be too tired to get past saying 'hi' to each other before we fell asleep.

"Sorry!" I said. "I'm having a hard time putting out a little bit. Besides, it's not like putting out a lot of electricity drains me." I let the electricity in my body make itself visible around me as I increased my bioelectrical output.

"That is not the intention of this exercise." Kratos sighed. "I realize that, even though you are able to do things with your Element that even our best Instructors can't do, you can do it without effort. The point of this exercise is to be able to control it completely. That way you'll have a lower chance of losing control & hurting somebody with it."

"I know, I know…" I replied. "It's just, this is so boring!" I sat down, ignoring the angry look on Kratos' face. "I mean, can't I ever have a break from this & go explore or something?"

"If I were to give you a full day off of training every two days, would you give me your word to train _without_ _complaining_?" He asked.

"Absolutely!" I cheered, sitting up. "So when do I get my break?"

"Tomorrow." Kratos replied.

"Aww, man…" I groaned. I looked at Kratos again. "Fine. I agree." I held out my hand & he took it. Kratos yelped & jumped away as I shocked him. "I can't believe you fell for the old electric handshake!" I burst out laughing; it was cut short however by a smack on the back of the head. Courtesy of Kratos Aurion, of course.

**Riana's P.O.V**

"Hey!" I said, walking over to the bewildered green-haired Human.

"Yes?" The guy replied, placing a hand on his hip.

"Are you looking for someone?" I asked. "You're looking around an awful lot."

"Well, I'm actually waiting for someone. You see, I'm supposed to meet up with someone who can help me with my abilities. I was told she's a 'Chaos' Instructor, whatever that means." He said, shrugging at the last sentence.

"Oh…" I snickered. "Well then, you must be waiting for me. Name's Riana, pleasure to meet ya."

"Are you sure? I mean, you can't be older than 16 years old." He had a bewildered look on his face.

"I'm positive. You see, I'm the only girl 'Chaos' Instructor. Here, I'll show you." I lifted my hand up & shot a beam of Chaos energy at the nearby statue, destroying it. "But you're right; I'm only like fifteen years old. I am the strongest girl Anthro here though. And I am the second strongest girl at Eternia." I giggled as the boy blinked dumbly.

"Okay then, I guess I am waiting for you. My name's Neku, Cadence told me to come see you after she identified what my 'abilities' were." He held out his hand.

"I see…" I shook hands with him & gestured for him to follow me. "This is gonna be intense training, are you ready for it?" I saw him nod as we entered the Neko section of Eternia. "That's good. Now, you'll have to do what I say; no matter what, got it?" I asked. He nodded again.

"Where exactly are we going?" He asked, looking around. I opened the door in front of me. "Isn't this someone's room?" He said as he looked at the floor which was covered in clothes & garbage.

"Yeah, it's mine…" I sighed. "Now get cleaning." He looked at me, to see if I was joking. "I'm serious! And you have to use your hands. That means _no_ _cleaning tools_."

"Why the hell do I have to clean?" He snapped.

"Figure it out…" I sat down on the couch after lifting everything off with Chaos energy & scattering it around the room. "You have an hour." I laid down on the couch & started to read my book. Neku just stood there & stared. "Get started!" I roared at him, throwing the book at him. "If you don't like my method of teaching then you can take it up with Kratos! I'm positive he'll agree with me." Neku sighed & very reluctantly got to work on cleaning my room.

**Noctis' P.O.V**

I raised my hand, grabbing a blade as it came towards me. The hedgehog in front of me placed his hands on his headband. The metal encasing it split into two pieces. One piece formed a staff almost as soon as his hand touched it. The other became a sheet underneath his feet. He began to rise, slowly, until he was no more than a meter off of the ground.

"Sure you don't want to reconsider this?" James asked. "I'll gladly give you the spot available for the Master Essence Instructor. I don't want to fight you anyways, too much of a hassle." He sighed.

"No," I shook my head. "I would prefer to fight you for it. I do not wish to take the position if the person they chose is more capable." I took a ready stance. "So please, let's start."

"Alright…" James sighed. "But I won't go easy on you." He shot towards me. I knocked him over with one of the weapons still hovering above me. I ran after him, slashing when I got close. He rolled out of the way, hitting the back of my knees in the process. I gasped in pain & fell forward, landing on my all fours. I was scooped off of the ground as the sheet of metal wrapped itself around my stomach. It spun me around slowly until I was facing James, he was smiling. I sent a glaive towards him, hitting him in the stomach. He bowled over, but the metal didn't loosen.

I cursed in my head a couple of times. I was spinning around rapidly now, the metal loosening slowly.

"Whoa!" I screamed as I slipped out of the metal. I bounced off of the ground, hitting a wall. My head was spinning, I felt sick & the room was still spinning to me.

"Your eyes are shaking like crazy!" James laughed as I got up, wobbly. "You sure you should stand…?" I dry-heaved a couple of times. "You look like you're going to…" And finally, I threw up on the floor. "Never mind. Anyways, still want to continue?" I nodded, unable to talk. I grabbed the sword above me & readied myself.

**Veil's P.O.V**

"Are you Scourge?" The silver hedgehog next to me spoke into the intercom.

"Who's there?" The one called Scourge replied. "What do you want?"

"My name is Rain." My companion said. "We are here to release you." I saw Scourge shuffle around inside the cell that confined him.

"Finally…" He responded, getting to his feet. I noticed that his eyes seemed to glow in the darkness. "Well? What're you waitin' for? Let me out!" I pushed the button on the door, opening it. After several seconds we heard a whirring noise & then a green blur sped out through the doorway & headed straight towards Rain!

"You shouldn't…" Rain yelled, grabbing the ball with both hands. "Take me lightly!" He kicked Scourge into the wall, & brushed his hands together. "Now are you going to co-operate? Or do I have to knock more sense into you?"

"This is the one who'll help me get what I want?" I asked, eyeing the green runt. "He doesn't look tough at all. I mean, you took him out with a kick." I sighed.

"Well, _he_ is never wrong about this type of thing." Rain said. "So if _he _says this is our guy, then this is our guy." He sighed. "Anyways, he's all yours, later!" He crossed his arms & disappeared.

"Who is _he_?" Scourge growled, getting to his feet. I gestured for him to follow & we walked back to my 'outpost'.

"The one who contacted you earlier." I said. "Apparently, we need your assistance for this."

"And if I refuse?" Scourge snarled. "What'll you do then?" I dashed behind him & held a knife to his throat.

"Then I'll kill you…" I sighed. "Then we'll find someone to replace you. Won't be too hard, I'm sure. Besides, no one will miss a criminal here." I released him & sheathed the knife.

"How did you do that?" Scourge gasped. "I didn't even see you move!"

"It's an ability I was born with." I replied as we approached. 'Lyndis' was waiting for us in the doorway.

"Is he going to work with us?" She asked. I noticed her arm twitching, ready to spring into action. Scourge whistled.

"Damn! How did you hook up with a chick like this?" He asked, surveying her. I chuckled as she smacked him in the back of the head.

"Yeah, he'll co-operate." I sat down in the chair at my desk. "Scourge…" He looked at me as I addressed him, in a slightly superior tone. "You'll need to where these…" I tossed him a pair of handcuffs. "Whenever someone comes by."

"Why!?" He snarled, glaring at me. "I already agreed to work with you!"

"For the sake of appearance…" I took out another pair of handcuffs. "They will limit your Chaos Energy use while they are on. But!" I snapped the last word as Scourge got ready to chuck them out the window. "They will also keep you out of that jail cell you hate so much & keep us under the radar."

"Fine…" Scourge sighed, defeated. "I'll wear your flicking little handcuffs."

"Thank you…" I said. "Now for the first thing on our agenda…" I grimaced. "We have to help the other five."

"Now we're helping people!?" Scourge cursed loudly. "I'm seriously starting to reconsider this whole co-operation thing."

"Relax…" Lyndis said. "You'll enjoy this kind of help." She giggled. "So, who's first?"

**Zephyren's P.O.V**

We'd been told that the tournament would be held after they had chosen a fifth warrior for us to fight since one of them was unable to make it at the scheduled time. Two days had passed since then & I had some time to relax. I wanted to spend some time with Keira, but I was told she was unable to see me because Cadence had taken her under her wing (literally!) & was helping her control her elemental abilities & beast transformation.

I decided that now was as good of a time as any to learn how to control my 'Hyper Beast Form' as Reikourin called it. I remembered that the seal on Nexion had weakened & I blamed Reikourin for that. I assumed that the reason Nexion could not possess me again was because the seal was still in place. But this time it only made it so I couldn't be possessed, I could still converse with him.

"_So you finally figured it out?"_ Nexion jeered. "_Good for you! You must like my power to want to use that other form."_

"Shut up!" I said in my head. "I don't want your power, but I might as well make use of it." I sighed. I really didn't like having a voice in my head. Especially when that voice hopes for your downfall so it can use your body to do what it wants.

"_You've got it all wrong, Zephyren…"_ Nexion said, answering my thoughts. _"I don't want to use you for my own ends."_

"Oh really?" I replied sarcastically. "Then explain why you went psycho when you first got released a couple of days ago?" (* See Chapter 6)

"_I merely tried to help you achieve your deepest desire." _Nexion said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"That was quite the opposite I think…" I snapped. "Because my deepest desire is to be rid of you!"

"_No…" _Nexion sighed. "_Your deepest desire was & still is to have everyone bowing to you."_ I shook my head & he just laughed. "_Deny it all you want Zephyren. But I know the real you. More than I would like sometimes."_

I ignored him afterwards. I just concentrated on using my power…no, _his_ power & caused the wings to sprout from my back. It hurt a little bit, but the pain didn't last long. I flapped them a few times to make sure they worked & then I took off. Flying around the grounds, letting the wind blow into my face, it was more relaxing than anything I had known. I landed in one of the towers a couple of minutes later. I felt the wings fold into my back, disappearing. It stung where the new bones had connected to my back moments ago, but other than that it was all good.

I found myself wondering about who the fifth Instructor would be in the next Trial. We had been told that we were fighting Xion, Tifa, Freya & Riku. It was a fairly even match-up. I looked down on the ground to see a female hedgehog walking around. She looked at me & waved. I waved back & a strong wind came by. I stumbled a bit but kept my balance. The next thing I knew, there was a pair of hands on my back & _they shoved me out of the window!_

**Jenn's P.O.V**

As if my day wasn't bad enough! First off, I accidentally set the Instructors desk on fire in my class thus, getting me the punishment of having to do community hours. Second, I spilt the water I was using to clean the floor for my hours spilt & caused another student to get a broken arm, getting me more hours to do. And now there was a person falling off of a tower straight towards me! He had turned into a bird-type thing but he was falling to fast to move his wings.

I acted quickly & brought out the Chaos Emerald I had received from Dimethos earlier. The emerald glowed as time stoppe. I ran over to the store rooms I had been cleaning earlier, remembering the ladder that was stored there. I grabbed it & turned…knocking everything over again! I groaned, I was gonna have to clean that up later. No time for complaining now though!

I ran back & placed the ladder at the foot of the tower. Climbing up it, I saw that the time had not stayed stopped (if that makes sense). It was now moving _really_ slow (probably from me knocking over the things in the storage room). I waited several minutes (though, time-wise it couldn't have been more than several seconds) until the person was parallel to me. Then I reached out & grabbed him. He was kept moving, his shirt ripping in my hands, & he kept falling! I panicked & raced towards the ground, waiting for him to get close enough. I jumped up & caught him, feeling the true momentum of the wind as time went back to normal.

He returned to normal as I placed him on the ground & he looking around confused. "Did you catch me?" He asked.

"Well duh!" I replied. "Who else was down here to see you fall?" He looked around as I said that. "Everyone else is still in class."

"Good point." He glared back up at the window. I looked up to but couldn't see anything. "Thanks for the help." He turned back to me & held out his hand. "My name's Zephyren."

"Jennifer the Hedgehog." I replied. "Please to meetcha." I looked at the ladder & remembered the mess I had made. "Oh no!" I groaned.

"What?" He asked, looking worried.

"I made a mess when I went to get that ladder to help you & now I'll have to clean it up!" I cried, remembering my earlier efforts to clean the room.

"That's why my shirt is ripped." He exclaimed. "Well, I'll help you out." I looked at him hopefully, praying he wasn't just saying that. "After I get another shirt that is." He turned & jogged away, returning a couple of minutes later in new clothes. "By the way..." He said; a puzzled look on his face. "You didn't see anyone in the window after I fell did you?" I shook my head. "Strange. I could have sworn I saw a guy with silver hair." His frown turned to a smile. "Best not dwell on it. Come on, that room won't clean itself!"

**James' P.O.V**

I had beaten Noctis shortly after he had readied himself. All I had to do was make a dome around him & cause him to pass out from lack of air. He had woken after a few minutes.

"Are you happy now?" I asked. I was still kind of annoyed that he made me waste time fighting him. "Or do we have to do it again?"

"They did choose someone better." Noctis nodded. "I'm glad I had the opportunity to fight you though." He stood up & headed for the door, his weapons hovering behind him. I looked at my watch.

"A whole hour wasted…" I sighed. "Well, at least we consumed some time. I would have preferred something else to spend it on though. Wouldn't you agree Myra?" I looked up to see the transparent image of a teal-haired woman appear."

"You seemed to enjoy making use of your abilities, James." She giggled. "And you didn't even use my powers!" She placed her hands on her hips.

"Yeah, yeah…" I sighed, heading for the doorway to Eternia. "Let's just hope this whole Calibur Instructor thing is worth it."

"Remember, when we first met?" Myra asked. "You had trouble manipulating things without feeling stressed out."

"Yeah, I remember…" I groaned. "Eggman had beaten the stuffing out of me for sending a very sharp pipe into his blueprints & several of his machines..." I rubbed the back of my head.

"_You insignificant little rodent!" The Professor cried. "How dare you destroy my work!" He raised his hand & hit me to the ground. "You aren't good for anything! I can't even use you for my Androids!" He kicked every word at me & I blanked out._

"_You have to fight back!" A girl cried. "You can't let him pick on you anymore! Use your powers against him!" When I came to I was in a city. The nearby sign read _Megalo City_._

"_Megalo? This can't be it…" I groaned as I stood up & looked around. "It was destroyed two hundred years ago!" Regardless I got up & walked to the nearby restaurant. When I entered several people looked at me as if I was a ghost._

"_Are you okay pal?" The man behind the counter said. "You look like you cut yourself pretty badly." I gestured that I was fine & headed to the bathroom to see what he was talking about. What I saw in the mirror was terrifying. My normally droopy quills were spiked up with a red substance in them. I ran my hand through it & tasted the stuff. It was blood!_

_I turned in the mirror & noticed several cuts on my back, legs, & arms. I was about to scream, but then I remembered that I was in a public place & me screaming after coming in all bloodied up probably wasn't the best idea. As such, I took out a lot of paper towels & washed myself off. The cuts had stopped bleeding & now looked like minor wounds._

"_We have to get out of here." I heard the girl's voice again. "Rip off that piece of metal on the wall & fly out of here. Quickly."_

"_Who're you?" I said, looking around. "And where are you!"_

"_My name's Myra…" The girl spoke. "Now hurry! That man probably called the cops…"_

"We've been through a lot since then…" Myra said as I opened the door to Cadence's office & sat down. "Haven't we?" I nodded & laid back on the couch, closing my eyes. "I'll wake you when she comes in, okay?" I nodded again & drifted into unconsciousness.

**CHAPTER 15 END!**


	16. Listen To That Sizzle!

**Chapter 16: Listen To That Sizzle!**

**Neku's P.O.V**

I can't believe that this girl is making me clean the entire Antro/Neko section of Eternia! I sighed as I finally finished my work & headed back to my 'teacher' who was leaning on her door. "Finally finished?" She asked. I grunted in response, afraid that I might say something rude to her & get more 'lessons'. "What's the matter?" She said in a baby-ish voice. "Aww, is someone a widdle upset?" She stuck out her lower lip & made a sad face in front of me.

"Shut up!" I roared, swinging at her. She ducked & a beam shot from my fist, destroying the wall & the one beyond it! "H-h-h-how did I do that?" I stared in disbelief at damage I'd caused. "I'm nowhere near that strong!"

"That's the power of 'Chaos' in you!" She laughed. "What you thought it was supposed to be attained through being nice?" She snapped her fingers & the walls repaired themselves. "That was negative Chaos Energy that you just released." She gestured for me to follow her into her room & she offered me a seat. "It was generated by the anger in you. There's also a positive version of Chaos Energy, but I wanted to check how much you had in you. I must say I'm impressed.

"So, all that…" I nodded towards the door. "Was a test to see how much I had in me?" She nodded & I gawped at her.

"Though, that was only about half of it. Now, for the _real_ training to begin!" She pointed at me & I was lifted off of the ground. She made a gestured & sent me into her wall. "This time…" She smiled. "You'll have to fight me!" I yelled as she threw me into the nearby wall. This is going to be rough…

**Veran's P.O.V**

I cringed as the electricity backfired on me for what seemed like the hundredth time. Kratos had set up an obstacle course for me. It was made up of very little material, but man was it difficult! I had to hit a metal pole at a certain time to get a little switch to go off, and then I had to jump on the log that fell afterwards & land on another metal platform & send electricity through it to get it to move forward. The hard part was that I had to send a certain amount of electricity through the metal otherwise it backfired & nothing happened.

I groaned & rubbed my numb arms. Looking up I saw Kratos watching me with his arms crossed. There was a look on his face that looked like it said 'Remember the deal…' I nodded & tried again, this time I only put a teensy tiny little bit of electricity…& again I was zapped. This time I got mad, I sent the highest concentration of electricity that I could manifest through the pole. The little switch shattered & the log started to fall. I jumped forward, landing on it & jumped off onto the next board; letting my bioelectric current run through my feet. The board moved forward slowly at first & then faster & faster until I toppled & was gripping the sides. The board hit the bump (where I was supposed to stop) & kept going, crashing into a wall. Thankfully, I had fallen off at the bump!

"That's not what I was expecting…" Kratos replied, standing over me. "But I guess it will have to do." He sighed & looked back at the course. "I didn't think you could put out that much of a current."

"What do you mean?" I asked, not understanding what he meant. I followed his eyes & saw that the metal pole (which had been silver) was now completely black. "How did that happen?"

"You did that…" Kratos said, hauling me to my feet. "You released over seventy-four hundred thousand volts from your body!" He pointed to the machine that was reading my electrical output. "You could fry someone by poking them with a surge that powerful!" I looked at my hands. It was like I could _feel_ the electricity coursing through me. It didn't feel too pleasant to be quite honest with you.

"I feel sorta dizzy…" I said; my head swimming. "I think I'm going to…" I got no further as I the world around me went black.

"Wake up boyo!" I heard a man say. "Get up you rotten bum!" The voice roared & I felt something hard hit my stomach. I gasped in pain. I heard the whoosh of something pulling back & coming towards me again. Instinctively, I reached out & grabbed. It was a boot; someone had been kicking me. "That's the spirit kid!" The man cheered.

"Who are you?" I gasped, opening my eyes a sliver. I was in a metal room & my eyes shot the rest of the way open & darted around. My tail was wagging furiously & my ears were twitching, listening for sounds that could be hidden behind the machines.

"Name's Deoxin…" He thumped his fist against his chest. "I'm here to whip you in tah shape boy!" He drew both the giant swords that were on his back, wielding them effortlessly. "Think you can handle it?" He charged, not waiting for my answer. I jumped sideways, staggering. I was still tired.

"What happened to Kratos?" I questioned, jumping out of the way again as he slashed at me. "And where am I?"

"You're in mah room boy!" He laughed. "Thought that was obvious enough for ya!" He lunged again as I landed. This one hit me...sorry not hit me. It impaled me! I gasped & looked at the blade. I grabbed it & sent electricity through it. Deoxin screamed as it coursed through the blade & shocked him. I increased the output & listened to his scream get louder. I pulled the blade out & put pressure on the wound.

"Not so nice…" I gasped. "Is it?" I was still holding the sword, still sending my thunderous power through it. Deoxin let go of the blade & groaned.

"T…that…" He grimaced. "That was m-mighty impressive…boy." He fell to one knee & gulped in a lungful of air. "My power is yours…you've passed my test." He body started to crackle & electricity spouted all of him. There was a flash & he disappeared. I heard a rumble. Then, looking up, I saw a bolt of lightning come straight down & strike me!

"Veran!" Kratos was roaring. "Veran! Wake up!" I groaned.

"What the…?" I said, opening my eyes. "What happened?" I was back in the room Kratos had me training in.

"You passed out…" Kratos said as he stood up. "Then your body started to emanate electricity. After several seconds, you stopped breathing momentarily. Then you started breathing again." He sighed. "You nearly gave me a heart attack."

"Sorry…" I responded automatically. "I had a weird dream though…" Kratos looked at me questioningly. "There was a guy named Deoxin & he made me fight him. He said something like his power is mine." I looked around. "But it must've been a dream because that was a completely different place."

"That wasn't a dream." Kratos sighed. "Your true power has awakened." He gestured for me to follow him out the door. "I can't train you anymore. My goal was to awaken Deoxin in you."

"You mean no more obstacle courses?" I asked, feeling hope rise in my chest. "I won't have to make switches go off that I can't reach?"

"That is correct." Kratos sighed. "But don't go overboard with that power or you'll regret it."

"Yahoo!" I cried, jumping up & down. "Thank god for psychopatheic electrically charged maniacs!" I ran down the halls shouting. "I'm free!" I could imagine Kratos sighing behind me.

**Jenn's P.O.V**

"Oh damn it!" I cried. "Why does this kind of thing always have to happen to me?" I poured the glass of sour milk down the drain. "Why do I always have to be the one to lose control of their abilities?" I threw out the carton of sour milk. "If there is a god he hates me!"

"What's this about hating something that doesn't exist?" James said behind me, causing me to jump. He looked around & noticed the thrown out milk carton. "Having troubles are we?"

"Oh shut up!" I yelled, throwing a fork at him. He ducked out of the way.

"Temper, temper…" He tsked. "But I guess I've always said you're a lose cannon."

"You're so mean!" I cried, running out of my room. Not exactly the best plan, I know. I should've been kicking him out of my room; but it was kind of late for that so I kept running. Eventually I ended up heading to the tower I had previously seen Zephyren fall out of.

"_You sound like you need help…_" I heard a voice say. "_Maybe I can be of assistance. IF you pass my test._"

**Zephyran's P.O.V**

We made another turn as we headed towards the science ward of Eternia. Reikourin had told us to meet in room 7A for something.

"4A, 4B, 5A…" Lloyd was counting the doors out loud & was getting slightly annoying.

"What do you think he wants?" I asked Sora. "It can't be about our abilities. He already knows about those."

"I don't know…" He shrugged. "Maybe it's about our Keyblades."

"Then shouldn't Riku be here too then?" Kairi asked. "He has one too after all."

"Oh right!" Sora nodded. "Well then maybe it's-"

"7A!" Lloyd interrupted. "We're here!" We opened the door & stepped in. The room was completely empty except for a machine in the center with eight capsules in place. "Wonder what those are for?" Lloyd said out loud.

"For the four of you. Of course." Reikourin said, appearing from the shadows.

"But there are eight capsules." I said. "So what are the other four for?"

"Just step in them & you'll see." Reikourin said, gesturing to the capsules. "Make sure there is one in between you though. Don't go side by side." We did as he said & I watched as the door closed behind me & he headed towards a control panel of sorts. He pressed some buttons & the machine roared to life.

"What's happening?" Razphyxen cried in my head. "I feel weird."

"You okay?" I asked, worried.

"I don't know..." I didn't hear the rest of his sentence as the machine got louder & I was forced to close my eyes as a really bright light entered the capsule. I heard the door behind me open & I stepped out, feeling strange. Lighter.

As I looked around I noticed that the others were coming out of their capsules too. I looked back & saw that the capsule that was beside mine had started to glow.

The door opened afterwards & a figure appeared inside. Not just my capsule however. All of them had a person in them. I squinted as I tried to see inside the one in front of me.

"Lydolx!" I heard Lloyd shout as he ran towards his capsule. A boy with blue hair, similar to his but with silver tips, walked out of the capsule with a smile on his face.

"Hey!" I heard an all too familiar voice say as it approached & I turned back to face my capsule. My Nobody, Razphyxen, had emerged! "This feels weird…" He said as he looked at his cloaked body. "Don't you agree?" He walked towards me a held out his hand. My eyes bulged. How was this possible? A Nobody isn't supposed to exist when their 'Host' hasn't turned into a Heartless yet!

"This is unreal…" I gasped, unaware that I had been holding my breath. I grabbed his hand & we shook. He didn't disappear as I expected him too & from the look on his face, he had expected the same.

"Sora!" I heard Kairi say. She was holding hands with Namine, her Nobody. Sora had his arm around Roxas' shoulder.

"This is awesome!" Lydolx roared. "I'm me again!" He held out his hand & made a Keyblade appear. "I'm my own _person_." I looked around, realizing that Reikourin was still there.

"How long will this last?" I asked him & immediately everyone became quiet. "Forever? An hour? A week?" I looked around, everyone had realized the same thing.

"As long as you & your counterpart wish to be two separate beings then you shall." He replied. "However, if you really want to join back together then you also must both _want_ to & then just physically interact." He chuckled. "Though, I doubt that'll happen anytime soon." He said, disappearing.

"He's right about that…" Roxas said. "I don't think any of us will want to go back anytime soon." We all nodded in agreement & my stomach growled.

"Let's go get something to eat." I said, rubbing my belly. "I'm starving." Razphyxen laughed & ran to the door.

"Yeah, & then after…" He made his other Keyblade appear. "We'll see if I'm up to par with my skills!" Lloyd slapped his forehead.

"You mean _our_ skills." I corrected. "They're the same as mine, remember?"

"Same difference…" He sighed, running for the door. "Time to eat! Last one there's a gonna be a Heartless' lunch!" I looked to the others & they shared the same grin as me. This was gonna be the best time ever!

**Jenn's P.O.V**

I cracked my knuckles as the fire left them leaving smoke in its wake. My clothes were charred & my cheek had a small burn on it. The purple-haired man in front of me laughed through his mouthpiece. I gasped for more hair. It was too hot in this volcano. The air was too smoky to breathe properly & it was making my lungs work overtime.

"Give up yet?" Kirem asked. "If you don't now I won't go easy on you & you'll most likely die." He shook his head. "You know what I find strange about this whole ordeal?"

"What?" I asked, gasping in another lungful of air.

"I think it's strange how all of the people that have the potential to use my abilities are Anthros." He said.

"I care why?" I said. "It's not like that effects me in anyway." I jumped forward letting flame engulf my hands. He jumped back, dodging me as I hit the ground. I lunged again, trying to swipe his face. He set his blade on fire & let the blunt end of the sword hit me. I yelped in pain as the fire scorched my skin.

"Well, I guess you're not going to give up are ya?" I shook my head & he shrugged. "Well then, I guess it can't be helped." He charged towards me, his body igniting. "Seems like I'll have to make you burn to ashes!" I jumped out of the way, setting my own body alight. I ran at him again, our bodies stopping centimetres from each other as we both tried to force our flames past the others barrier. Kirem's face grew into a giant smile. He was enjoying this!

"Why do you enjoy this carnage?" I questioned, still pushing into him. "Why do you like to see people get hurt?"

"I don't like to see them get hurt…" He shrugged. "I just enjoy the adrenaline rush that battle gives you!" The flames on his body got higher & he started to push me back. I raised the heat of my own flames but those only managed to keep him at bay. I hadn't covered any ground. Before I knew it, I was on the ground. He had used his sword to trip me & now the point was against my throat…

**CHAPTER 16 END!**


	17. Wake Up Alert!

**Chapter 17: Wake Up Alert!**

**Raziel's P.O.V**

"_It's a shame we couldn't have drawn out that fight..."_ Kryonas sighed. "_Woulda been interesting to test our true strength against my creator._" He'd been complaining about the fight for several days now.

"Shut up already!" I replied, rubbing my temples. "You're giving me a headache!"

"_Did I just set a dimensional record then?"_ He asked. "_I can see it now. Kryonas, the very first one to give a Vampire a headache, ever!" _He giggled. "_But seriously; why didn't you use your full power?"_

"I told you already…" I sighed for the umpteenth time. "I couldn't risk hurting my friends with the wind's velocity. It could have ripped off their limbs!"

"_Yeah, but not yours!"_ He said. _"Who cares of a little friendly casualty here or there?"_

"Your sister was in the mix!" I screamed in my head. "You don't care!?"

"_She could have handled it easily." _He responded matter-of-factly. I recalled the last time he had used that tone. Back when I first met him.

"_Take that wolf girl!" The teenager laughed. "Eat that apple! The one on the ground, like the dog you are!" The guy launched a kick, hitting Melissa in the chest._

"_Leave her alone!" I roared, unnerving the teen._

"_What are you gonna do _bloodsucker?_" He held out his arm. "Bite me? Drain my blood?" He snickered. "Go ahead & try! You know what it means to attack a Human _Prince!"_ I charged towards him the wind around me increasing in speed. The Human stopped the wind with his own elemental abilities & pushed me to the ground. He laughed & kicked me. "You can't beat me you little shrimp! And when I'm done with you I've decided that I'm gonna have a little fun with your sister!"_

"Man, you're pathetic!" _A voice inside me resonated. "_Can't even save your own sister? Here, lemme help you…"_ The wind around me swirled, lifting the _prince_ off of the ground. I stood & watched. "_Well? What are you waiting for? Use the wind & get back at him for hurting your sis!"_ I did as the voice bade & increased the winds velocity. The Human spun around incredibly fast & was still increasing in speed. I stopped him & held him upside down in front of me._

"_Apologize!" I demanded. The guy spit at me, missing by several centimetres._

"_Bite me!" He roared flailing in mid-air. "I'll have you & your sister executed for defying my wishes!" As the last words left his mouth something in me snapped. It was like the elastic band that had been holding back what was inside me finally broke. I increased the velocity of the wind & sent it all straight at him from various angles. He screamed as cuts opened up all over his body._

_As his lifeless form lay there on the ground, my sister sniffled. I looked over & saw that she was crying. Not for the one dead on the ground or in fear of me. But of what was now going to happen to me for killing another student, let alone a prince_. _I could hear their footprints coming. The Executioners. They would see the body, then me, then they would put two & two together & I would be 'retired'._

"My name's Kryonas…"_ The voice in me said in that same matter-of-fact tone._ "From now on I'll lend you my power. Just don't be a pansy, okay?"

_The guards came, saw me & the body. Then surprisingly, they patted me on the shoulder & praised me! Apparently they had been planning to execute the Human for continuing to abuse his power & violate the rules. I sighed in relief as Melissa hugged me, still crying into my shirt._

"It's been a while since you've used that tone." I replied in my head. "Do you have something on your mind?"

"_Yeah…" _Kryonas sighed. "_The time of awakening is coming…" _I had gotten up from my bed & headed to the door.

"Awakening?" I said, coming to a stop, my hand on the doorknob. "Why do I not like the sound of that?"

"_It's really nothing to worry about…" _Kryonas sighed. "_But you'll need to get rid of that concern for your comrades."_

"Why?" I growled. "I won't fight them! I won't hurt my friends!"

"_The Awakening is a battle inside yourself…" _Kryonas stated. "_You will have to fight your fears, your friends…" _He sighed._ "You may even need to relive painful memories."_

"I see…" I analysed the situation. "How long does it take?"

"_Literally?" _ He asked & I nodded in reply. "_A second, but in your head it could take days, years, possibly even a century. For my sister's previous 'host' it took almost a millennia."_

"Okay…" I replied, trying to take in what Kryonas said. "How long until it happens to me?"

"_I'm not sure…" _I felt him shake his head. "_It won't happen for another seven or eight days at least."_

"That's good." I replied as a paper slid under my door. I went over to pick it up & noticed that the letter was in Zephyren's handwriting. It said:

The last match is going to be held in one week. Our opponents are: Xion (Zeonthrope), Tifa Lockheart (Human), Keira Grei (Zeonthrope), Rain (Anthro), Cadence Steele (Angel). I believe that Cadence will be turned into an Archangel before our match so be on your guard. See you in a week & remember to feed beforehand. I'm going away to train, later taters!

I seethed as I read the letter. One week. I had one week to prepare myself to fight against an Angel & an Elementalist. Why couldn't I just have an easy opponent?

"_You're not worried about the Awakening?" _Kryonas asked. "_I guess I shouldn't be surprised, you never were the type to worry about matters that are somewhat unrelated to you. But you should know that if you fail the Awakening that you won't be able to control any Element ever again."_

"And I care why?" I said, tapping my foot angrily. "It's not like I ever wanted to control the wind around me in the first place."

**Keira's P.O.V**

"It's good to be back!" I shouted as Cadence stepped through the portal after me. "I missed this place!" I stretched as I walked towards the guard outpost. I followed Cadence as she waved her way past the guards.

"Will you be able to fight Zephyren next week?" She asked as we passed through the doors of the school & entered the main lobby. I had never noticed how well the wood had been carved into the walls. There was a pair of wings etched into the wall above the doorway to the Instructors Office.

"Shouldn't be a problem…" I giggled. "Especially since I'm stronger than him now." I flexed my hand. "Well, at least I hope I am." I chuckled again as my hand glowed dimly.

"I wouldn't know if he is or not." Cadence said. "I can feel him trying to break seal containing Nexion. He can barely access the power now, but in a week he may be at his full potential." She shrugged. "Anyways, let's see what Kratos is up to." We opened the big double doors to his office. He was standing in front of the monitor that had previously shown the second match of the tournament. There was a silver-haired man on the monitor talking to a green hedgehog.

"I see your back…" He sighed turning the monitor off. "How was your training, Keira?"

"Easier than I thought it would be." I replied honestly.

"Did you see those two on the monitor?" He asked. "The Human & the Anthro?" I nodded. "Those two have been very bothersome, although helpful."

"How can someone be helpful but annoying at the same time?" I asked, confused.

"They helped Zephyren by pushing him out of the northern observation tower window." He said.

"They pushed him out of a window!?" I yelled. "How does that help anyone?"

"It allowed him to learn to transform in a last second situation…" Kratos sighed. "He couldn't do that before." He started to pace back & forth across the room.

"So do you know what they are planning?" Cadence spoke, I'd forgotten she was there & her voice caused me to jump. "Or are you theorizing again?"

"I think it is a bit of both this time." Kratos grinned. "I believe they are planning to quicken each the rate at which each of the 'Hosts' awakens & to increase their abilities. The theory part of that is that I think they are going to interfere in the Instructor match." He stopped pacing & stood in front of me. "Which is exactly why I chose you as the fifth participant for the match, Keira."

"What do those two have to do with me?" I asked. "I've already awakened Verina."

"They may go after Zephyren & cause him to break the seal on Nexion." He replied. "If that happens you have to calm him. You're the only one who can, remember what Reikourin said?" He asked.

"Yeah, yeah…" I said, getting off of the couch & heading for the door. "Where's Zephyren now?"

"He left with Reikourin an hour ago." Cadence answered for me. "He wants to increase his strength."

"I see." I sighed. Was Zephyren avoiding me? Ever since we kissed he's been distant. Is something wrong? I walked the halls of Eternia, unconsciously; I found my way back to my room. _Our_ room. I opened the door & sat on the couch, I looked back on what I've been through lately. Meeting Zephyren, coming to Eternia Academy, the Vampire attack, the tournament, my training, meeting Verina. It seems like I've been here for years now. Though, it's only been a week or so.

"_It's probably a good thing that he isn't here you know…_" Verina spoke. "_With Nexion & I being opposites, it wouldn't be a good idea to have us in the same room. We'd cancel each other out, making us powerless if we were attacked."_

"We wouldn't be completely defenceless..." I said, taking off my clothes & getting into the shower. "We'd still have our transformations & Zephyren would still be able to use fire & electricity." I tested the water to see if it was warm enough & stepped in. Shortly after, I got on some pyjamas & fell asleep on the couch.

**Sonic's P.O.V**

"Amy I don't have time for this…" I said, pushing away from the love-struck hedgehog. "I have to find James."

"You like _him_ more than me!?" She roared, pulling her hammer out of thin air. "What does he have!?" I backed away from the doorway she was blocking, my hands held up in surrender.

"N-now Amy, no need for the hammer…" I spoke as I looked for a way around her. Then realization struck. "Hey Amy! If I go out with you tomorrow will you let me by?" She lowered her hammer & a grin spread across her face.

"Tomorrow?" She said cheerfully. "That's perfect! When-"

"Great! See you tomorrow!" I cut her off & dashed by her. I'd see her around the usual time anyways so when didn't matter. Right now I had to find James & tell him what Shadow told me.

"_Sonic!" Shadow roared after me as I jumped over a tree trunk._

"_Hey Shadow!" I replied, coming to a stop. "What's up?"_

"_I got a message from Reikourin…" He said, stopping beside me. "You need to tell James that Myra is going to awaken in about a week or so."_

"_Isn't Myra the Goddess of Essence?" I asked. "The one that Reikourin based off of Tikal & Chaos?"_

"_The exact same…" He said, starting to jog again. "Tell him for me! I have to find Melissa & tell her!" His last words echoed off of the trees as he disappeared through the woods._

"James!" I cried as the silver hedgehog came into view. "I need to talk to you!"

"What?" He asked. He didn't look like he was in a good mood.

"Shadow told me that Myra was going to awaken in about a week." I said & he rolled his eyes.

"I know…" He replied. "Reikourin already told me." He turned & walked off down the hall.

"But Reikourin's with Zephyren…" I said, placing my hands on my hips. "There's no way he could have told you."

"Well, he told me around thirty minutes ago." He said over his shoulder, not stopping. "Sorry."

"Okay then…" I said. Now I had to go on a date with Amy for no reason. Great…

**CHAPTER 17 END!**


	18. The Meeting of Eleven

**Chapter 18: The Meeting of Eleven**

**Razphyxen's P.O.V**

"_Consume…_" I heard the word constantly echoing inside my head. I jumped sideways, away from the black shape dashing after me. My body was no different however. My eyes were the same two pale yellow orbs as my attackers. My body covered in the same darkness. "_Consume…_" The word reverberated again. My darkness, my never-ending want for another's heart. It only lasted while I was in this form for me. For my attacker, Zephyran, it was endless. He always had the darkness eating away at him. Before it hadn't been so bad since I helped him keep it at bay. But without my help, I wondered. Would he be driven mad by his insatiable thirst? His limitless desire to consume hearts?

"_Consume…_" The word repeated in my head yet again.

**Tifa's P.O.V**

The wooden dummy in front of me shattered as my foot connected. I lifted the splinters using the wind & placed them in the garbage. With the tournament only a day away I had to make sure I was up to par with my fighting capabilities.

"I feel sorry for the dummy…" I jump as Cloud spoke. Turning, I saw that he was leaning in the doorway. "Hopefully, none of the anger I saw in that kick was directed to me." He walked towards me. Things had been different since we moved here to Eternia. With Aerith back Cloud seemed more…cheerful. Like a huge load had been lifted from his shoulders. It made me sad to think of how he had been before. Carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders, not letting any of his friends share the burden. Not letting me help him.

"I'm not angry..." I lied. I was angry. Mad at myself for not having the guts to tell Cloud how I felt as obvious as I had made it to him. "Just making sure I'll be able to participate tomorrow."

"Why wouldn't you be able to?" He asked. "Did something happen?"

"Remember our little sparring match with the others?" I replied with my own question. "I was cut in a lot of spots. They're healed now but I was making sure that there was no hidden damage." I rubbed my arms, as a cold chill passed by.

"I see…" He sighed. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, anything." I said. It was rare for him to ask anything of me.

"Would you meet me at the southern observation tower tonight? It's my shift & I want to show you something." His voice dropped to nearly a whisper as he finished.

"Umm, sure…" I said. This wasn't like him. "Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing at all." He smiled & walked out of the training room, leaving me to think about what he wanted me to see.

**Slate's P.O.V**

'Tonight at eleven thirty-five you are to go to the Western Observational Tower. If you fail to show up, whether an emergency has come up or not, you will be expelled from the tournament & Eternia Academy grounds. You will also be sent to your own realm with no means of traveling between them ever again.'

I grimaced as I reread the letter. I could almost recite it without even looking at it. It was a good thing I fed last night with Raziel otherwise I wouldn't be able to make it tonight. Raziel had gotten a similar notice, as had his sister. None of us knew who sent the letter or where it had come from. It had appeared in our quarters while we were out. Melissa's had actually landed on her lap in her room & she didn't see where it had come from!

"So what do you think it's about?" I asked Raziel again as we walked to our destination. I heard a padding of feet behind me & slowly the smell of dog reached me.

"Again, I don't know." He snarled, getting irritated. "So shut up & we'll know when we get there."

"Do you think Reikourin sent it?" Melissa asked. I thought about the idea & assumed that was possible. Reikourin was the only one who could even get by an Archangel's heightened senses & not be detected. The two paced ahead of me & I noticed the shape of Melissa's body. She was very attractive for sure, & the body suit she wore that Reikourin designed to change with her so she wouldn't need to hide & undress to morph outlined her body perfectly in the moonlight. She tilted her head in my direction & saw me looking at her & she grinned. I blushed & quickly looked away.

"It's possible…" Raziel replied. "But again, we'll see wh-" He paused midway through his sentence & stiffened. His head turned quickly to the left & within a second he was in a protective stance in front of his sister, who had already phased into a wolf.

"Whoa!" I heard a familiar voice say. "Calm down you two! It's just me." Zephyren emerged from the darkness of the night.

"Zephy!" Melissa barked as she bounded into him. "We missed ya!" He ruffled her hair as she changed back into a human. Raziel relaxed & approached his friend.

"Did you get a letter to?" Raziel asked. "To meet at the West Tower?" Zephyren shook his head in response.

"Reikourin told me himself to meet him there earlier…" Zephyren said, leading the way. "Right before he sent out the letters."

"So he did send them!" Melissa cheered. "I was right!" Zephyren nodded. As we got closer to the Tower I found it looked fairly creepy. This Tower had been abandoned due to the portal that accessed the one dimension there had been destroyed. No one knew the reason, but as such the Tower was no longer needed to be used. Everyone avoided it now & I could see why. Even the entrance seemed to ooze out creepiness.

"What time is it?" Zephyren asked, looking around.

"Almost eleven thirty." I replied. One of the many benefits of being a Vampire, you have an internal clock. We sat down while we waited & others showed. There was a black Hedgehog with purple streaked quills, she was accompanied by a silver hedgehog with blue streaked quills, a Neko kid whose eyes kept looking around curiously, Keira & Patrick, & finally one last person showed.

"I see you all showed up…" Everyone jumped as Reikourin appeared in the doorway of the foreboding tower. "That's wonderful." He walked in between the circle we had all unconsciously formed. "Now, since some of you don't know each other, please introduce yourselves & what you specialize in." He pointed to me. "Why don't you start?"

"My name's Slate Xio, I don't have a specialty." I felt stupid as I said my name. Like I was at some sort of Alcoholics Anonymous meeting.

"Yes, you do Slate…" Reikourin interrupted & my jaw dropped in shock. "You just don't know how to control it yet."

"Then what is it?" I demanded. Annoyed that he thought he knew more about me than I did.

"You control Ice." Reikourin said. "You are a servant of Ferina." I stood there dumbfounded & at the same time furious. I wanted to prove him wrong. Though lately, I had felt the presence of something else beside me at all times.

"I'm Raziel Severon, I use the Wind as my speciality."

"Melissa Severon, Earth here."

"Patrick Flaherty, Water is my specialty."

"Veran here! Thunder for me!"

"Keira Grei, I can use Light."

"Jenn the Hedgehog, I burn things with my flames."

"James the Hedgehog, Essence is my power."

"Zephyren Feral, I control Darkness." He sighed, & finally it was the new girl's turn.

"My name's Rinalia Feral & I control Nature." She replied & Zephyren's eyes shot up, glaring at the new girl.

"_Excuse me?_" He snarled. "Feral? I think you're mistaken." He was standing now, walking towards her. "I'm an only child."

"My father's name was Demetri Feral." She stated, chewing on the purple tip to her red hair. "My mother was Anya Nelion."

"So you're my half-sister…" Zephyren chuckled. "I always figured that little rumor about my Dad having an affair was true. He never was one to ignore another woman; it's one of the reasons why I despised him." He held out his hand & they shook. "So _sis_, how old are you?"

"I'm sixteen, _brother."_ She laughed as she said the word. Now that they were standing next to each other I could see the similarities. They both had red hair (despite the girl's dyed purple tips), they both had purple eyes, & they had the same pale shade to their skin tone.

"Well…" Reikourin spoke breaking the silence. "Let's get started shall we?" He gestured towards the doorway to the creepy tower & we all followed him in. There was nothing to see inside the tower besides the spiral staircase that went to the top. Reikourin went first & we followed in pairs. Patrick & I, Rinalia & Veran, Zephyren & Keira, Jenn & James, & finally Raziel & Melissa. Reikourin sat in the window when we got to the top & gestured for us to sit on the floor. Once we were…comfortable, the room got brighter & I could see all kinds of seals drawn on the roof, the walls & the floor.

**Cloud's P.O.V**

"Tifa…" I smiled as she approached. "I'm glad you could make it."

"Well, it would be rude to not accept the invitation." She said, grinning back. I walked into the tower & she followed me. "What did you want to show me?" She asked as we reached the top of the staircase.

"Happy Birthday…" I said as I went over to the corner of the room & lifted the tarp off of the piano. "Recognize this?" I asked, looking towards her. She was crying! "What's wrong!?" I asked.

"Nothing…" She said shaking her head & wiping away the tears, but more sprang up in their place. "It's just…I can't believe you managed to get it. My mother gave that to me before she died. I thought it had burned in the fire." She rushed forward in that moment & hugged me.

"I found it at Rufus' place. Apparently, the former President found it while they rebuilt the town &, except for replacing the legs, restored it to its former self." I said, brushing some hair away from her face. "I think this is the first time I've actually seen you cry since then." She chuckled. "Now I see why. It doesn't suit you…" I said, holding her close as a fresh wave of sobs came. "Do you like it?" She nodded.

"It's the best thing I could have asked for!" She said. "Thank you so much, Cloud!" I moved her over to the piano bench & sat down with her on my lap.

"You're welcome." I replied. "I'm glad you like it." I had never seen her so happy that she'd cried before. Not even after we lived through the 'Meteor Incident' & that had caused the Highwind to crash. As I looked towards the window I noticed a glow. 'So Reikourin has started.' I thought to myself. I had often wondered why he had chosen those ten kids specifically. Was it because people underestimated children most of the time? Or was there some other reason? One that no one knew about? Could there be someone manipulating him? As he is manipulating those children?

I didn't know. I didn't have much time to think about it though because my thoughts were interrupted by Tifa.

"Cloud…" She said. Her eyes red from tears. "Can I ask you something?" She had a look on her face that I didn't recognize. I nodded in response. It was her birthday, I should give her what she wants. "Could you close your eyes?" She asked, & I did. Next thing I knew, she was kissing me! My eyes opened in shock, but I didn't break away in case I hurt her feelings. She felt more like a sister to me than someone I'd fall in love with. But this kiss…it seemed so…right. I closed my eyes again, kissing her back & when we broke away her cheeks flushed.

"That was…new." I said, feeling the blood rush to my face too.

"I've wanted to do that for a while." She confessed. "Do you understand how I feel now, Cloud?" I nodded. I suddenly understood & I felt stupid. All those times she had been putting out signals. I pulled her in close to me this time, I wouldn't let her go. I'd stay by her till the end.

**Zephyren's P.O.V**

I felt lighter as the room filled with the blinding aura coming off of Reikourin's figure. The light was incredibly bright, but I found that I could look at him without having to squint or anything no matter how bright the light got. Suddenly it go very dark & I couldn't see anything at all. Not my hands, not Keira (who had been sitting next to me), nothing. There was a scream to my right. It sounded like Jenn & I turned to see what the problem was instinctively. The blackness stayed. Not only that, it seemed to get thicker, as if it was trying to strangle me.

"_Seems like someone wants me around now, hmm?"_ Nexion spoke. That explained the darkness. Was this the Awakening?

**Jenn's P.O.V**

"Put out the fire!" I screamed. "It's burning through me! Please! Put it out!" Tears streamed down my cheeks as I felt the flames lick my body. Why could I still move? Had the flames not burned through my muscles yet? The burning seemed to go on forever. Increasing in temperature with each passing second.

"_Oh come on!" _Kirem laughed. "_I put more fire on you then this & you didn't give up then! Quit being a baby!"_ The flames increased in temperature again. More than it usually did. Once again I screamed in agony.

**James' P.O.V**

The room seemed to slowly close in around me. The metal wouldn't respond to my thoughts. Gathering to me in a way I did not want it to, blades pointed at me.

"_Is that the best you can do?"_ Myra questioned in a concerned tone. "_There's no way you'll get out of this then!"_ I gasped in pain as the first of the jagged weapons pierced my flesh. I looked down & saw my blood soaking the area around me. More blades pierced my skin causing me to scream, until finally I was a pincushion. Alive, barely, I looked up & saw Myra looking at me, her hand on the last blade. "_Bon voyage!"_ she laughed as she pulled the sword back & thrust it forward.

**Slate's P.O.V**

"An endless field of ice & snow." I said to myself as my feet scrunched through the cold powder. I could not feel cold, but that would not stop me from freezing to death if I stayed in the cold. Remaining motionless was not an option.

"_My, my, my…" _A voice called out from the snowy wasteland. "_Looks like I have a visitor." _A girl appeared out of the snowy fog. Her hair was sky blue, & she was dressed in a formal outfit. Snow swirled around her as if it was worshipping her presence.

"Who're you?" I roared. It wouldn't be much longer till I froze to death. "Where is this place?"

"You enter my home & you're making demands?" She laughed. "My, my! Someone's got guts for being on the verge of death!" She laughed again & I snarled. "Name's Ferina." I blinked, remembering what Reikourin had said. It seemed like years had passed since I was in the tower, maybe they did. I didn't care, I finally found a way to get my elemental abilities. I wouldn't be looked down upon anymore by anyone. "I'll tell you where you are IF you can beat me. I'll even make it fair & let you warm up!" As she said the words I found that I was warming up.

My limbs were no longer stiff & the snow was no longer blowing into my face. I drew my claws; thankfully I had decided to bring them with me out of superstition. I readied myself & found myself laying on the ground in pain half a second later.

"You really think you can beat me when you can defend yourself?" She tutted. "Well, here I come again!" I soared through the air as her foot connected to my ribs.

**Raziel's P.O.V**

"Seems like someone's getting worn out." Kryonas laughed. "Funny, I thought you Vampires were tougher than this." I puked as the wind stopped spinning me around & put me down. I took in a quick lungful of air, just in case he decided to take the air near me away & cause me to lose oxygen as he had earlier. "I've seen most Vampires shrug off this kind of fighting. But you are just getting the crap kicked out of you." He grabbed my chin between his thumb & his index finger. "You are pathetic!" He snarled. "Even Korin was stronger than you!" My eyes popped open with shock as he mentioned my _maker's_ name & along with the shock came the painful memory.

_It was late. About ten, possibly later. Melissa, my friends, & I were leaving the movie theatre. We were laughing at some stupid comment my friend had made about the movie. Melissa & I had just turned seventeen. Our friends took a cab back to their houses & the two of us decided to walk home since our house was around the block._

"_That was a good movie though…" Melissa spoke animatedly as usual. "Especially the part where the guy turned into a Vampire & tried his friends." I nodded in agreement. "Can you imagine what life would be like if Vampires were _real_!?" She asked._

"_Not sure if I want to." I said, rolling my eyes. "I mean, if they weren't as annoying as you then sure." I laughed as she gave me a shove. There was a rustle in the bushes across the road from us._

"_Korin, stop!" We heard someone snap. "They'll hear us!" Melissa & I looked at each other & shrugged. Probably some kids following the mysterious Severon family again, as usual. Melissa screamed & I turned around to find her being dragged by someone to the bushes._

"_No!" I roared as I ran towards them. A hand clamped down on my shoulder & whirled me around. I was looking at a teenager about my age with blood-red eyes. I tried to shrug him off to help my sister but, he was too strong. I fell to my knees from pain as he put more pressure into my arm._

"_You look tasty…" The teenager spoke. "Name's Korin. Nice to eat you!" I drifted unconsciousness._

"_Why do you insist we turn them?" I heard someone speak. "Why do you enjoy doing this so much?"_

"_Oh come on!" I heard my attacker speak. "I can tell that kid has potential! Plus, if we change his sister then he may not come after us." I don't know what happened next. But I felt a strong pain as something entered my body…_

"You knew him!?" I roared. "You knew the one that ruined my life!" My fist shot forward instinctively, smashing into Kryonas' stomach. He gasped as he soared & hit the wall. "Where is he!?" I demanded. I walked over & lifted him up by the neck, squeeing slowly. "WHERE!" I roared.

"I killed him during his Awakening process." Kryonas replied smugly. "It was fun too."

"You _denied _me that right?" I snarled, throwing him over my shoulder to the ground. "You had no right to do that!" Kryonas laughed as he rolled out of the way & readied himself. A red haze filled my eyes. I would drink the blood of this elementalist. Then I would burn his body, there is no way I will let him stay in existence after this!

**Melissa's P.O.V**

The earth squeezed my arms & legs tighter together. I groaned. My body had already gone numb from the pain. There was no way for me to get out of this constriction. Rika had told me earlier that this was my Awakening & unless I could get these columns that had encased themselves around my limbs to fall apart then I would continue to feel pain for millennia to come. I tried once again to will the earth off of me. 'Disintegrate!' I thought to myself, panic layering the voice in my head. The earth didn't budge. I sighed; it was pointless to fight this.

A sifting noise caused my head to snap up. A small portion of the earth underneath my forearm had turned to sand! I tried to will the earth around my hand to turn to sand. It did & fell to the floor. I flexed my fingers, it felt so good. Time for the rest of my body to be released from this earthy prison.

**Keira's P.O.V**

The light around me had already gone out a couple of times as I searched through the darkness of the cave. I had done a lot of training with Cadence that was similar to this, so this was incredibly easy. I had found Verina easily enough. She didn't want to fight me to prove my worth as she had earlier. She knew I'd win as I had before.

So, I got this cave to deal with & I could not have my light go out more than six times as I navigated my way through it. So far it had gone out four. Two more tries. I sighed as the light around me started to vanish. It was annoying to continually have to make light appear around me. I let the light run out as I walked forward & didn't reactivate it. I had one chance left & I wasn't going waste it when there was most likely a lot left to this cavern.

"_Seems like someone wants me around now, hmm?" _I heard someone say.

"You only wish…" I heard a familiar voice say. "But no one would ever want a psycho like you around, Nexion." I rushed towards the sound of the voice, tripping once from a little rock jutting out.

"Zephyren?" I cried. "Is that you out there?" I was so happy to find him that I lit up the area around me to see him.

"Keira?" Zephyren gasped. "What're you doing here?" I found him after walking a few more feet. He walked towards me & I felt an odd sense of déjà vu.

"_Well, well, well…" _I heard Nexion chuckle. "_It seems like someone's already passed their test. What do you say? Should we have some fun with her Zephyren?"_

"No!" Zephyren roared, grabbing me & holding me close to him. "I'll kill you if you touch her!" Nexion roared with laughter.

"_You'll kill me? That's a laugh. You know Zephyren, I have been around ever since she entered this room. I _am_ the darkness. She can even use that light to show you. Come on girl; expand the light as much as you can." _I did as I was asked, not believing that I was surrounded by darkness despite the fact that I couldn't see what I was walking on. The area around us did get brighter, but I could not see any walls or anything. Wherever we were, it was a void.

**Patrick's P.O.V**

The water around me churned as I tried to make it move out of my way. I was surrounded on all fronts by water. There was complete blackness as I floated there. My air bubble was getting smaller as I used more up. It had started as a giant bubble that was easily the size of a Behemoth. Now it was about the size of my body. I had to get the water to lift me up to the surface.

It was easy to tell where that was, just look for the navy blue among the black. You'd be amazed how easy it is to tell the difference between the two when you're in the dark long enough. I tried to will the water to move under my body & push me up towards the surface. My efforts were futile as the water just made small, near invisible ripples as it had the past hundred times before.

"_Giving up?_" Merian asked, her figure appearing beside me. "_Funny, if you don't pass this test then you'll be letting me down. Didn't you make me a promise not to do that?"_ I gasped as she brought up that moment. The time we became united. I put more effort into forcing the water to move. Before it had been so effortless. I was so used to the water listening me the moment I even considering moving it a certain way.

Now that I really looked at it, it was like it was rebelling against me for my carelessness. The same way another would abuse a right simply because they had it, or the way children will use guilt to get what they want from their parents. The water rippled & started to become denser underneath me. 'You _will_ obey me.' I demanded in my head. 'You _will_ listen to me & _not_ refuse my authority.' Gradually the water started to push me up & I looked at Merian. She was smiling

"_I knew you wouldn't let me down._" She smiled. "_Thank you so much._" I waved shortly before reaching the surface. Then when I hit the top I found I was in the tower still & everyone was on the ground. Jenn was convulsing, James was laying spread eagle on the ground screaming, Slate was shivering furiously, the others were layed perfectly straight except for Keira & Zephyren. They seemed to be wrapped around each other.

"Record time…" Reikourin praised. "I have never seen someone clear their Awakening in that time." The room was still glowing & the aura around James got brighter as his screaming died down to a mumble.

"How much longer?" I asked. "And why didn't you warn us?"

"The others should wake up any moment now." Reikourin replied in an annoyed tone. "There progress is astounding. Though, Melissa has stayed in it for several decades." He closed his eyes. "I did not tell any of you that this would happen because then you would be too panicky to go through with it properly. This is supposed to be an instinctual test. One with immediate responses, not one you are prepared for right away." He opened his eyes again & I saw that they were filled with something…was it greed?

**Zephyran's P.O.V**

"_Consume his heart…"_ The voice in me repeated & I forced it back down again. I was forcing the darkness into submission finally & not letting the voice drive me to the brink of insanity. Razphyxen trailed ahead of me towards the West Observational Tower. We had both decided to stay in our 'Heartless' form as we travelled. For one, it was faster than running normally & second, Razphyxen said I had to get used to being in control.

We got to the door of the tower & it wouldn't open. "Gimme a sec." I said as my body fell back into the portal I opened. I walked forward a few paces in the realm of darkness & willed another portal open that would lead me inside the tower. When I stepped out of the portal & found that I was only a few feet away from Razphyxen. "What the hell?" I said aloud.

"Something's keeping us out…" Razphyxen said. "Seems like we won't be able to get in the traditional way." He sighed as the darkness around him dissipated & his Keyblades appeared. I followed his example & turned back to normal too. "Going up." He chuckled as he thrust the Keyblades into the wall, one after the other.

"Not going to ask us for help?" Lloyd asked, hovering behind us with Lydolx. "Thought we were like this." He intertwined his fingers together as he laughed. He swooped down & grabbed our shirts lifting us up to the second floor window. As we entered, we could feel the floor & walls around us _throbbing. _

"Weird…" Lydolx said. "It feels like we're inside something."

"Well, we are _in_ a tower." I commented, grinning.

"Shut up. You know what I mean…" He started to head up the stairs. "It's like the inside of a living thing." I nodded, getting serious.

**Rinalia's P.O.V**

"_The itch is driving you crazy, isn't it?"_ Larian teased. "_Don't you hate it when what you love turns against you?"_ I struggled against the vines that entirely constricted my body. My body was itching like crazy from the poison ivy in the vines. I couldn't scratch at all, it was maddening. I tried forcing the vegetation off of me, but every time I did it was forced up higher onto my body by Larian.

There had to be someway to get rid of Larian, or someway to make her situation as bad as mine. What wouldn't she expect from someone in this situation…that's it! I willed the plants to move through the ground & closer to her slowly. She didn't notice the change.

"_Giving up? How demeaning."_ She sighed. Then I launched my attack. The floor was consisted of vines, so I had the ones behind her shoot up & constrict her in the _exact_ same way they were constricting me. "_What!?"_ Larian roared.

"Don't you hate it when what you control turns against you?" I laughed as she snarled at me. "Now, let's talk." I watched as she struggled against the vines. "You let me go & I'll let you go. There's as much of an escape here for you as there is for me." I sighed as she glared at me, fury plain in her features.

"Fine…" She sighed, resigned. "I surrender. You win." The room around me vanished & I was back in the tower. Reikourin was looking at me, as was Patrick.

"You okay?" Patrick asked, helping me to my feet. "It seemed pretty real didn't it?" I nodded. It was an illusion, I understood that. From the moment I could see Larian I understood. I jumped as James coughed up blood.

"If you die in the Awakening, do you die in real life?" I asked Reikourin, not taking my gaze off of the Anthro.

"Yes." He replied in a matter-of-fact tone. "There is no room for failure during the Awakening." I closed my eyes & silently prayed for everyone's safety. Four people entered the room at that moment. They all looked similar to each other, like two sets of twins, though the hair colours were different. "Ahh, the Raideka twins & their Nobodies. How are you?" Reikourin asked as if their arrival was expected.

"What's going on?" The green haired one asked. "Why are those people laying on the ground?" The one with silver streaked blue hair stepped forward with a pair of weird swords in his hands.

"Nothing much, just unleashing the true potential of these children." He replied. The person with silver streaked, green hair came forward & knelt beside James.

"What's wrong with this one?" He demanded. "Why is his mouth bloody?" He readied himself & he looked like he was going to spring at Reikourin.

"What's going on?" Veran asked, sitting up & rubbing his eyes. "Why are there so many people in here?" He got up & his tail wagged faster than normal, excitedly. "And what was that exactly?"

"Congratulations on passing your test, Veran." Reikourin smiled, probably trying to keep up a friendly visage in front of the newcomers.

"That was a test?" Veran spoke incredulously. "All I did was talk to Deoxin. It was easier than a freaking survey!" I snickered at his little comment & he beamed at me.

"Really?" Reikourin asked, he tried to mask the shock on his face & failed miserably in doing so. "That is interesting."

"What kind of test causes people to bleed?" The green haired one demanded.

"It's their Awakening." Reikourin replied. "Have patience Zephyran. You three: Lydolx, Razphyxen, & Lloyd. You all need to calm down too. There is no need for this right now." They all glared at Reikourin fiercely for a moment & then relaxed…a little. Their weapons disappeared from their hands & they walked farther into the room.

Slowly the rest started to wake. First was Jenn, then James (who looked a little shaky), then Raziel & Melissa, & finally Slate who looked…I guess the right word would be revived. There was a light in his eyes that wasn't there earlier. Keira & Zephyren weren't waking up.

"When will they get up?" Melissa broke the silence. "They've been like that for the past several minutes."

"They have taken the longest for the Awakening." Reikourin said. "It will be interesting to see how they turn out when it is over."

"I thought it only lasted a second in real time?" Raziel asked.

"That's if it happens naturally." Reikourin stated. "I've accelerated it by a couple of days so you wouldn't be as shaken if it happened during your match. It will last up to an hour at most."

"How long have we been here since it started?" Raziel said, it voice was layered with stress from worrying about my _brother's_ well-being. It was still hard to get used to the fact that I wasn't an only child. I had been raised on the knowledge that I had a brother out there. But I figured he would be just like my father. Arrogant, foolhardy, & not worth the title. That wasn't the case & I found I had felt an instant compassion for this stranger who claimed to be my sibling.

"The process has lasted about forty-six minutes so far." Reikourin said. "It won't be much longer now."

"Please brother, make it through. I have so much I want to talk to you about." I thought to myself. "I don't want to lose the only family I have left." Zephyren's face took on a pained expression & he roared. His body changed to that of a Phoenix in an instant. What was going on? A man with silver hair & a girl with silver-streaked black hair walked into the room, coming up behind the other four.

"Ahh, Nexion & Verina…" Reikourin smiled. "Glad you could make it. Should I call you Veil & Lyndis now?" They advanced towards Zephyren & Keira.

"Wait…" Raziel said. "If they're the ones that represent Light & Darkness then how come they have physical bodies?"

"The seal on Zephyren is starting to break…" Nexion spoke, his lips barely moving. "The power is seeping out now as is. That power provided me with a body. Keira's power was flowing out of her unchecked & that gave her a physical body." He jerked his head to the woman. "If you'll excuse us. We have a meeting to attend & I have to try to save Zephyren from himself."

**Zephyren's P.O.V**

The darkness in the area swirled around me as I gathered it into my body. I had forgotten to bring my swords, so I was defenceless. I felt flames & electricity erupted from my body. The power was overwhelming.

"_That's it!"_ The voice cried. "_Unleash the power! Break the seal!"_ I stopped. Something wasn't right. I looked over to Keira, she had turned into a Phoenix herself. She looked scared. Her light no longer surrounded me, just herself.

"Who are you?" I roared at the voice. It was unfamiliar, not the one I knew. Not Nexion's.

"_I guess you've finally figured it out."_ The voice sighed & a figure emerged in the darkness. It was a human shape, but it had wings. An angel? No. "_I am you."_ The voice said as the figure came into the dim light. It was a perfect replica. Not just a mirror image. The only difference was that it was in my Hyper Beast Form & I was only in Beast. I changed to Hyper, jumping back at the same time.

"Nice try!" I roared, launching a ball of fire at the mysterious clone. "I'm not going to fall for that Nexion!"

"_You called?"_ A familiar voice answered. The voice was coming from in front of me. _From my clone._ "You see Zephyren…" He chuckled. "I am the real you. Your true desire for more power. Your _evil_." He walked forward till we were no more than a foot apart. "Think about it for a second…" He placed his hands on his hips & his eyes turned black. "Has Nexion ever really told you to unleash your strength? Has he ever desired blood? Or violence?" He started to laugh. "I mean, sure he values chaos. All the male spirits do! It's why they're called Chaos Lords & the woman are Goddesses of Order."

"That's not true…" I said, shaking my head. "It couldn't have been me. That's a lie!" I roared, charging forward. The clone caught my fist before it connected to his face.

"You're pathetic." He said, punching me in the stomach. "You really believe you can fight yourself? I know all of your moves! Just watch!" He pulled out a blade that was similar to mine except with a black blade. Dark flames started to gather around it. "Dark Rendering!" He roared, launching the chaotic energy towards me. I absorbed the impact into me. Just as I had absorbed the darkness earlier. That attack was useless against me. I looked over to where Keira was except, she wasn't there!

"Keira!?" I yelled. "What have you done to her?"

"Everything you have…" He laughed. "Relax. She's done her Awakening & it seems we have our honoured guest here now." I felt the air around me ripple as a silver haired man entered the darkness.

"Good evening, Zephyren" The man nodded. "I'm Nexion. Pleasure to truly meet you."

"See? I told you I wasn't Nexion!" The other Zephyren said. "Now do you believe me?" I nodded. I had been reviewing the past events as we fought. The voice HAD been different. I was only so convinced that it was Nexion because of what I did to Shadow back then out of desperation to save my mom.

"I see your point…" I sighed, lowering my head in defeat. "I admit it was me all along. I was bloodthirsty. It was like a drug to me. I only used Nexion as an excuse to get away with it. Thanks to you I can avoid that now." I lifted my head & glared at myself. "I killed those Vampires out of sheer pleasure…" My copy nodded, a smile on his face. "I regret it now. I will no longer shed blood for my own amusement. Now I _will_ protect those I care for!" The clone faded into a purple flame & flew into me.

"_I'll be here always, so don't let your guard down._" He said in my head. I'd have to make sure I kept him in check.

"Well done, Zephyren…" Nexion advanced to me & held out his hand. "Now let's finish this." I nodded & took his hand. His body glowed dimly & then vanished. I felt a new strength in me as the world of darkness started to crumble around me. I opened my eyes.

"He's awake!" I heard Melissa cry. "It's over!" I looked around & saw that everyone had gathered around me.

"Now that that's done…" Reikourin said. "You should all get to bed. Your last match is tomorrow after all." We got up & headed down the stairs. Once again led by Reikourin.

"Zephyren…" Rinalia spoke up behind me. "I'd like to talk to you for a bit-"

"It'll have to wait till after tomorrow…" I interrupted, knowing what she was going to say. "After all, we have a lot of time to catch up on, right?" She smiled & nodded.


	19. Unyielding Spirit & Ascension

**Chapter 19: Unyielding Spirit & Ascension**

**Zephyren's P.O.V**

The match had started off as the other two had. An introduction in an arena & then we were sent of to a room. The difference was that this room had a portal in it. The portal led to a ruined harbour. Flames burned in the building to my right. To the left of me the water swirled violently. We had been told by Reikourin that this area was created on an empty plane of existence by him.

"Amazing isn't it?" Cadence said behind me, making me jump. I turned & saw her land on the ground, her new black wings folded into her back. "How one being can create a new reality out of nothing?" She sighed.

"Actually I think it's kinda creepy." I replied, shrugging. "The fact that one guy has so much power. I mean, what if he decides to turn on us?" I felt my own wings grow out of my back.

"So, you think I'm scary?" I heard Reikourin speak, though he was nowhere in sight. I stiffened. Reikourin's transparent image appeared parallel to Cadence. Just as Nexion appeared next to me.

"Cadence…" I gasped. "What…this doesn't make any sense." I shook my head, not wanting to believe what I was thinking. I mean, there's no way that Cadence could be _controlling_ Reikourin's power.

"It doesn't?" She said, walking forward. "What did you think he was unbeatable?" I nodded. "I've been using his power for quite a while." A bow manifested in her hands, the ends were bladed. She pulled the string back as an arrow appeared on the end. "Let's get started, shall we?" I flew upward as the arrow was released. I looked to my right. Nexion was at my side, looking back at me. I nodded & he disappeared, but I felt his strength gather in me.

"Dark Rendering!" I cried as the wave of energy shot forward, no longer needing to be charge up for it.

Cadence jumped out of the way, but she was hit by the debris. She staggered on the ground & was forced to kneel. She cursed as she looked at her ankle, needing to heal the sprain. I charged forward & grabbed her throat, pushing the tip of my blade against her chest.

"Give up!" I demanded, feeling the bloodlust starting to surface. "You're not a fighter Cadence. You & I both know that." She smiled as I pinned her to the wall, then she grabbed my wrists & squeezed. I gasped in pain as I felt them break, then my eyes widened in shock as I saw felt her mend the bones.

"I may not be a fighter…" She giggled. "But that doesn't mean I'm not stronger than you!" She lashed out with a wave of dark energy. I jumped back & beat my wings, heading upwards once again. There was no way I could fight her by myself, not even with my new strength. "Run, run as fast as you can!" Cadence called after me. I looked back & saw that she had vanished. I had to find the others & help them first.

**Melissa's P.O.V**

"Think he's had enough?" I asked Raziel as the Unborn in front of us slowly got up.

"I guess not..." Raziel shook his head. "Why continue Xion? You can't beat us & you know it."

"Really?" Xion chuckled in his double voice. "Let's test that theory out!" In the next instant he disappeared. I shuddered as a blade appeared on my throat.

"Mel!" Raziel cried, jumping back from me as his own self-preservation instincts kicked in. He smirked. "Looks like you're faster than you let on." I laughed, as I followed Raziel's eyes to the nearby plant store. I had them burrow into the earth, Xion took no notice.

"Surrender…" Xion roared. "You defeat me like this, so surr-"

"Can you stop yelling in my ear?" I interrupted him. Raziel snickered. "Like come on! I'll still need my hearing after this!" I shot the vines up around his arms at that moment, constricting him. Next I had stone columns appear on all four sides so the vines could support themselves more. Raziel sent the wind in through the cracks & we heard Xion's agonized cries. I felt him go limp through the vines & finally his heart slowed. He was unconscious.

"Victory!" Raziel cheered as we high-fived. I let the columns down as Xion's body was warped out of the battleground.

"Where's the Final Fantasy victory music when you need it?" I sighed. Raziel laughed & nodded in agreement as we headed forward to find our next opponent.

**Slate's P.O.V**

"Crap! Crap! Crap!" I thought to myself as I dodged the Chaos Spear that the Silver hedgehog threw at me. I threw myself into the nearby building as he warped in front of me & launched another spear. The corner of the building was blown asunder & I barely managed to escape as the building collapsed.

"You'll never beat me if you keep running." Rain shook his head, another spear appearing in his hand. He hurled it & dashed forward at the same time. I froze the ground in front of me & jump back. He had passed his spear & slipped on the ice, doing a front flip. The bolt of energy collided with him in mid-air & I had to shield my eyes from the light. Our fight had been going on for around ten minutes now. I was getting exhausted.

"I hope that hurt him." I mumbled to myself, peering into the smoke. So far I hadn't been able to scratch him. He was too fast or my attacks had no effect. I hope all the Instructors weren't this strong.

"It did…" Rain answered, the smoke cleared & I saw that the whole right side of his body was bleeding. My mouth watered as the scent of his blood reached me & I felt the thirst burning my throat. "Doesn't matter, I think this will be a suitable handicap. Though, it'd be a simple matter to heal these wounds right here." He raised his good hand & shot a blast from it. I jumped to the left as it passed, hitting something far behind me. I turned to look back at him just in time to see him spin around as his kick connected with my stomach. I soared through the air, landing in the rubble of the newly destroyed building.

"What the hell?" I gasped, getting to my feet. "How can you still move that fast without Chaos Control, let alone a Chaos Emerald?" I looked at my body to check my injuries. My arm had been severely cut so I spit into my palm & rubbed it over the cut. It itched a little after the cut vanished, but otherwise it was fine.

"Simple. I'm the embodiment of the negative energy in the Chaos Emeralds." He replied, walking towards me. I could hear him taking deeper breaths every other step. I closed my eyes; Ferina had taught me how to sense the cold around me. Basically, I could control anything below two degrees Celsius. The water was out of the question, too obvious, plus it would take time to get it here. I heard a whirring, something mechanical. I opened my eyes & looked to my right. In the next building was a freezer! Perfect! I dashed towards the building, jumping through the wall when I got close enough.

"Ow…" I groaned. Maybe jumping through wasn't the best idea. I shook my head to get rid of the stars I was seeing. I looked around; the sound was definitely closer but still nowhere in sight.

"Chaos…" I heard Rain snarl. Son of a… "Blast!" He roared as an explosion surrounded the area.

**Patrick's P.O.V**

I had Tifa's arms & legs encased in water, but it didn't slow her down one bit. Every kick that got near me had a torrent of wind around it. She was able to use the wind to reach faster speeds. Something I had never seen any Human do before, only Vampires. I increased the density of the water & had more come out of the harbour to encase her body, even her head.

"Surrender!" I roared. She shook her head. I made the water swirled up & down around her nose & I saw her start try to cough as the water went up her nose, cutting off her airways. I dispersed the water momentarily as she sucked in air & closed it over her head again. I continued to do this until she passed out. Her body vanished with the water as she was evacuated from this round. I hated being cruel like that, but I had no choice. I wouldn't attack her otherwise, I hated fighting women.

"I'm so sorry." I mumbled, more to myself than to her as I turned to find my next opponent.

**Raziel's P.O.V**

The ground shook & we saw an explosion rise up to the west. I looked at Melissa & nodded. We ran towards the explosion as fast was we could; Melissa had past me & was slightly further ahead. She skidded to a halt & I ended up breezing past her. I stopped running to see what had stopped her & I found myself bent over in pain.

"Good…" I heard someone chuckle. "Now I can take out the majority of you all at once." I lifted my head & found that I was staring at a silver hedgehog.

"You must be Rain." I gasped, letting the wind behind me so he wouldn't feel it yet.

"The one & only…" He grabbed the collar of my shirt & threw me to my sister's feet. Slate was standing beside her, barely. "Now, who should I eliminate first? After all…" He started to ramble about our inferiority.

"Raziel…" Slate whispered, his lips barely moving. "Can you hear that freezer?" I concentrated & I heard a whirring about a block away. My vampiric senses made it seem like it was right next to me. I gave my head a slight nod. "Can you bring it closer to us?" I moved the wind over increasing it's velocity until a minor tornado formed. Think one of those leaf tornadoes you see in autumn or at the end of summer but spinning one hundred times faster. I felt it move forward effortlessly before something intervened. Something plant-like.

"I can move it faster than you can…" Melissa whispered. "Plus I can get it here without making that whirring noise that your wind is making." Slate nodded, his hands twitching impatiently.

"What's the plan?" I asked.

"I can use the ice & snow from the fridge to impale him…" He whispered urgently. "He can heal himself if he wants to, but I doubt his ego will let him do that. So-"

"We impale him multiple times until he can't move & force him into submission…" I ended for him. It was a good plan. "One flaw in it though…" I chuckled as I remembered the time I had said the same thing in the first round. "What if he uses that explosion move again?"

"Then we're screwed." Slate sighed. "Hopefully, it won't come to that."

"So, have you decided who'll be first?" Rain interrupted. "Or do I get to choose?" None of us answered. "Excellent!" He clapped his hands together. "You first pinky!" He pointed to my sister. She jumped towards him without hesitation, transforming to her other form in the process. I dashed after her; I wasn't going to let my sister fight this monster alone.

Even with the two of us, we were outmatched. He outclassed us in every way. He matched Melissa's power, he matched my enhanced speed, even with the wind, & he could cover us both at the same time even though half of his body was damaged. What made it worse was that _we weren't even hitting him _& he was still getting hits in on us. I took a quick glance over to Slate before I jumped back into the fray. He was encased in ice & was advancing towards the battle slowly.

"Get down!" Slate roared as Melissa ducked a punch from the hedgehog. The ice shot forward in the shape of over a thousand needles. Rain shrieked with pain as the needles pinned him to the nearby rubble. I dashed forward, holding his throat. Melissa grabbed his arms & legs & ripped them free of the ice, pinning them behind him. Rain growled with pain as we heard several of his bones snap. I lifted Slate over to us using the wind so he would get here faster.

"Give up?" Slate snarled as a long, sharp icicle formed in his hands from the fragments of ice. He pushed the blade to Rain's head, the craving for blood in his eyes. Rain's eyes went wide as I squeezed his neck harder. He was gasping for air; I released the hold a tiny little bit. Rain screamed as the icicle was rammed into his chest.

"Watch it!" Melissa snapped as the icicle stopped centimetres from her. Rain's wound was trying to heal itself, but the icicle that was still protruding from his chest prevented it.

"Fine!" Rain gasped. "I give up! To think that you three could be as cruel as me." He burst into laughter as his body disappeared. We looked at each other, horrified by how _evil_ we had just become in that brief moment. I wasn't too sure about the others, but what I had done was pretty much something Kryonas would have done. Our feet moved forward as we searched for the others, we walked in a daze. We caught up with Patrick who had seen the explosion & was running towards us as fast as he could. The moment he saw us he caught our mood & fell into the same daze as us. Had he done something similar to what we had?

**Rinalia's P.O.V**

"Kratos, where are we going?" I asked once again as the Angel lead us down a dark corridor in the Archangel section of Eternia. "We've been walking for nearly two hours now."

"It's been two hours!?" Jenn groaned as she rubbed her legs. "How are you two not tired?" She glanced back. "James! That's not fair!" James had been laying down on his metal sheet & was gliding silently down the hall with us. Behind him was Veran, who hadn't stopped complaining since this morning when he found out that Neku had left Eternia for personal reasons, & Dimethos the Hedgehog.

"You'll find out momentarily." He sighed. That had been a new response compared to the last dozen times I'd asked him, so we must be close. We soon came to a large room with a weird bronze-coloured device in the center.

"What's that?" James asked, flying over the machine with curious look on his face.

"It's another portal to the dimension that the third round is taking place in." Dimethos spoke & we all looked to him. "It's powered by Chaos Energy only though."

"So that's why you're here." I said. It hadn't made sense before now as to why he'd be here unless he was related to us somehow. He nodded. "But why are you sending us to the next round?"

"Because all four of you need to meet Reikourin once again & defeat him before he tears the dimensions apart for all eternity." Kratos answered in a grave tone.

"An eternal rendering…" Dimethos sighed. "Something that should never take place as everything would continuously rip asunder. Can you imagine being ripped apart, a slave to pain for all eternity?" I shuddered at the thought.

"Why us though?" Jenn asked the obvious question. "Why do we need to do it? Why not the Instructors? Or the Archangels? Aren't they strong enough?"

"They may be strong, but they can not inflict a permanent wound on Reikourin…" Kratos said as Dimethos walked over to the panel on the machine. "Besides himself, only his disciples can do that. That's why you are the ones who will help destroy him instead of helping him destroy everything as he had intended."

"How would he have done that though?" I asked. "It's not like any of us would obey him." The realization hit me as soon as I finished speaking. "He plans to use Zephyren? How?"

"We don't know…" Kratos replied, shaking his head. "What we do know is that Zephyren will be the lord of this realm & that his rulings will be absolute & since the strongest of Reikourin's disciples is Nexion-"

"There will be none to oppose him." Dimethos finished. "And then our worst fears will be realized. There's no more time to waste." He placed his palm onto the panel & the machine started to glow. "The ten of you are our last hope. Give him a good beating for me will you?" He grinned as the last of us stepped onto the portal.

I remember a familiar pulling, the pull that you get from leaving one dimension & entering another. One tries to keep you there, while the other tries to take you to its side. It's a strange feeling considering you can feel it pulling at your insides too. But it only lasts a moment as you land in the other realm.

"This is where they're fighting!?" James gasped; none of us had been able to watch even a portion of the match before Kratos summoned us. "There's no way…" He trailed off. "This isn't a new realm. This is the ruins of Eggman Nega's laboratory."

"What?" Jenn stared at him in disbelief. "How do you know that?"

"Because _I_ was the one to destroy it." James replied before he started to walk forward.

"Wait!" Veran called. "They said Reikourin created this realm. So maybe he had expected Kratos to send us in after the others…" His tail started to twitch as he counted of information his superior hearing had received from the coliseum. "So _maybe_ he made this realm out of portions of places that we know to confuse us." I nodded in agreement.

"It's certainly possible." James replied. "It doesn't matter though. We still have something we gotta do right? I mean how else am I going to be able to relax unless we get rid of the disturbance?"

"Good point…" Jenn said, skipping to James' side. "Then let's go!" She looked around. "Umm….where to again?"

"What are you guys doing here!?" We heard a familiar voice behind us. Keira. "How did you guys get here!" She questioned again as she ran towards us.

"Magic." I replied with a smile. "We're here to help." Keira shook her head.

"You can't! That will get the others disqualified &-"

"There was no rule about others not being allowed to intervene." James interrupted. "Besides, you're going to have to be on our side for this one." James gestured for us to continue walking as he filled her in on what happened.

"So, we have to kill Reikourin before he can do anything." Keira clarified. "But doesn't that mean we'd have to kill his host?"

"What do you mean?" I asked. "We only need to kill Reikourin."

"I know that but I was thinking about this a lot before I went to sleep last night…" Keira said. "And I noticed, after you told me that Nexion & Verina had their own bodies due to an excess of power, that Reikourin must have been the same way. If he has a host, then the host wouldn't have been strong enough to contain all the energy which would mean he has a body."

"The only thing that would be strong enough would most likely be an Archangel." James concluded. "So that means that whoever it is isn't strong enough to contain all his power."

"But he wasn't at the entrance ceremony this morning." Veran said. "So wouldn't that mean that his host got stronger?"

"No one could get _that_ strong in a day." Jenn said. "Could they?"

"An Angel who has ascended to an Archangel could." I said. "Wait…" I froze as I remembered what my father had told me as a child.

"_An Angel will become an Archangel when they turn eighteen or they become strong enough to ascend on their own."_ My father's words echoed in my head.

"When's Cadence's birthday?" I questioned, urgency layering my voice.

"It was yesterday…" Veran replied. "You think it could be Cadence?"

"She was more powerful than most Angels, she was an adept in all the elements from birth. She turned eighteen last night & ascended to an Archangel." I summed it up as fast as I could. "She is the _only_ one who can be Reikourin's host."

"If that's the case-" James lingered, thinking it through.

"Then we don't have any time to lose." Keira interrupted, breaking into a run ahead of us. "Come on! I can sense where Zephyren is!" She ran after her, not wanting to waste any of the precious time we had left.


	20. A Lesson Reviewed

**Chapter 20: A Lesson Reviewed…**

**Zephyren's P.O.V**

I had been flying for about a half an hour & my wings were beginning to get sore. I hadn't heard any type of pursuit, but since it was Reikourin I was against then I most likely wouldn't hear him at all. Needless to say, I still required a break & so I lowered myself onto the nearby rooftop of one of the larger buildings. It stood about four stories & seemed to be in better condition than the others. Reikourin may have made this building that way intentionally or he may not have; I cared not. As soon as I landed I shifted back to my original state. My back ached as pain seared through it, I really had been flying for too long, there had been a previous time where I had felt this kind of pain, it happened not too long ago too.

_One Week Ago…_

"If you run into an opponent stronger than you & you're forced to retreat, how are you going to do so?" Reikourin asked as I got up from his latest attacked. I remembered the pain searing through my body as he taught me to absorb the darkness.

"Easy..." I replied with a smirk. "I'll fly, not much can keep up with that." I braced myself as another dark wave of energy shot towards me. Part of it seeped into me as the rest clashed with my flesh & sent me flying through the air once again.

"What will you do if your wings get sore or injured & you are forced to take a break?" Reikourin questioned as he ruthlessly released more energy into me.

"Then I will take a break, chances are I'll be too far away for them to catch up for a while..." I gasped as blood oozed from the fresh wounds on my arms. "Then I'll continue running until I get help. What's with these simple answer questions anyways?"

"Well, you never know who your next opponent might be." Reikourin sighed as yet another wave was launched towards me.

_Present…_

"Son of a..." I groaned as I felt the air behind me ripple, I turned & saw Cadence standing there with a smirk on her face.

"Those answers aren't so simple now are they?" Cadence asked, Reikourin's voice was layered in her own.

"Actually..." I gasped, this was going to hurt. "They are!" I charged forward, Cadence readied herself expecting my attack. I rolled past her, coiling my legs as my feet once again touched the ground, launching myself into the air. The air around me rippled once again & I managed to take a quick glance at the rooftop as I fell. Cadence had vanished again.

I felt the wings erupt from my back as I flapped them. It hurt so much, but the fall would hurt more if I hit the ground. The wind finally caught underneath my wings & I pushed downwards hard again. I seethed as a fresh wave of pain was sent through my body with each beat. If I made it out of this then I was going to need more than some simple Chaos Energy to heal this.

**Keira's P.O.V**

"_I feel Nexion's power coming this way fast_" Verina said. I felt my heart skip a beat. Zephyren had terrified me before with him admitting to enjoying the slaughter of the vampires. I hadn't spoken to him after we had left the tower & had even asked Melissa if I could share her room with her.

"Hey Zephy's headed this way I think!" Melissa cheered as she pointed to a black speck in the sky that was quickly growing larger. It was definitely him, I noticed Raziel nod out of the corner of my eye & his clothes started to ripple. I tensed as I realized that the ripple was not from the wind around him, but from the familiar sensation of being taken through a portal.

Not a second later, Cadence appeared before us. "I knew you'd finally figure it out…" She sighed. "At least this means it'll be a lot more fun!" She disappeared again & we all saw something land on Zephyren's back. There was a scream & Zephyren was sent hurtling towards us. Without thinking, I quickly ran forward & changed. I jumped & flapped my wings as a sudden surge of air blew around me & lifted me upwards. The air allowed me to fly to him faster.

As I caught Zephyren, he smiled. "I'm sorry for scaring you last night." He choked. I gasped as I noticed one of his blades protruding from his arm & the other on the left side of his torso. "Nexion told me that Verina said you were frightened of me for what I said. No more need to worry though; I won't allow myself to get that way again. Ever." He coughed blood up as he yanked at the blade in his stomach.

Blood covered my wings & clothing as it seeped from the gash. It was like staring into a black hole that had turned a dark red, it covered everything. I lowered him to the ground & Raziel was by our side in an instant. He spit in his hand & rubbed it over the wounds.

"His venom can heal the wounds." Slate said as he read the expression on my face. "I'd do it myself, but I'm not entirely sure I wouldn't drink from him."

"So…" Zephyren gasped again as Raziel rolled him over & withdrew the blade in his wing. "You guys know what's going on I take it?" Raziel spat on his hands & rubbed the gaping wound that appeared on his back as his wings vanished.

"Yeah..." I said, my voice trembling. "Do you think we can take her?" I looked over to where the air was once again rippling & Cadence appeared in front of us half a moment later.

**Cadence's P.O.V**

Vegetation of all kinds flew from the ground at the same time Slate charged forward. The vines wrapped themselves around my arms & then fastened themselves tightly to the ground in seconds, moments later my legs were encased in ice. I screamed in pain as my body was riddled claw marks by Slate. The wounds healed on their own as I expected them to & I easily broke free of my 'shackles'. The moment I tried to move however, I was surrounded by hundreds no, _millions_ of sharp metal blades.

"_They're really going all-out aren't they?_" Reikourin commented. "_They may even beat you._"

"Quiet!" I whispered to him as I phased out of my current dilemna. I heard Raziel snarl as he lunged in the area that I was warping to. Taking a little side step upon completing my transaction, I delivered a quick attack to his back & quickly unfurled my wings & flew upwards as a dozen or so stalagmites rose form the ground, all pointing to where I'd just previously been. The blades once again surrounded me as I hovered there & the stalagmites readjusted themselves to head in my direction.

The problem with just gaining control over the power of a god was that it took getting used to. I had no way to counter their elements until I could control them myself. I could never really control any element besides Light, I was mainly the support person if it came down to a fight. My angelic strength was the only thing that helped me in a fight. That & the fact that Reikoruin normally appeared to help his vessel if it came to that.

Doing a last second phase, I appeared next to Keira & grabbed her by the neck, holding a blade to her throat. "Stop!" I roared as everyone froze. I slowly cut her neck to show that I was serious. "Do what I say now or I'll kill her without a second thought." Melissa charged towards me & I cut Keira's throat.

The blood spurted out like when someone covers with their finger as the water builds up & goes everywhere. As her body dropped to the ground I threw the blade at Melissa & it pierced her skull, knocking her dead as well. Next up was Patrick, who encased himself in water which slowed my attacks but I managed to grab his arm. I squeezed & with my enhanced Archangelion strength, felt the bones break. His concentration broke & I snapped his neck quickly. The vampires were enraged, they came at me simultaneously. However, their rage blinded them & they got in each others' way allowing me to easily finish them off. Jen was still crying over the death of the others & so I picked up my blade, shoved it through her abdomen & carried the body as a shield as I advanced upon James. He put up little resistance, refusing to hit his barely living comrade. Riana died easily as I attacked her from the air, rendering her element useless. Finally, I got to Zephyren who could barely move.

"How does it feel to know you'll be my puppet?" I asked, beginning the enchantment to make him my slave.

"I won't listen to you..." He groaned. "No matter what!" He spat blood at me but it fell short several centimeters shy of where I was. As I finished the spell his eyes became a dull grey. "What do you desire my mistress?" He asked as he got up & knelt before me, gasping as his body felt the pain, but felt the need to please me more.

"Revoke the spatial agreement that allows people to freely come to Eternia for shelter & that protects them from all harm from any other being by law." I said, remembering what Reikourin had told me to do. "Also, could you be a dear & lead the attack on all races for me? Thanks."

"As you wish." Zephyren bowed his head & I allowed myself a smug smile as I started down the road to total chaos...

At least...that's how I _wish_ it would have happened. In reality, my arm was stopped as I attempted to cut Keira's throat by water that had been rising up my body from the puddles around me. I had been too soaked in Zephyren's blood to notice it climbing though. Melissa leapt towards me as the water finished encasing the rest of my body except for my head.

**Zephyren's P.O.V**

I was forced to do nothing but watch as the others fought against Cadence, I felt helpless, knowing that they were mainly protecting me from her just in case she got her way. I felt useless…but what could I do? After all, it was me she was after; & I don't know how she'd be able to manipulate me, so it was best if I didn't get close to her.

"_This doesn't sound like you at all my dear prince…" _Nexion tutted. "_Normally you're the first one to jump into the fray & the last one to leave it._" Images of all the encounters I've ever been in flashed before my eyes. The childish sparring sessions I had with Raziel when we first became friends, the fights I'd get provoked into as a teenager, stopping murderers & rapists & such. Then the most recent fights kicked in, saving Keira, the fight with the vampires, & then…

_One Week Ago…_

"When the time comes will you be able to cast aside your fears & your worries & be able to fight? Not just for yourself but for your friends & possibly everyone in existence?" Reikourin asked, his body ready for my next assault. For everyone? What could he possibly mean? I shook off the question, he was probably just trying to mess with my head & besides, the answer was obvious.

"If it comes to that then yes I would be able to fight. Without hesitation. There are those I have to protect after all." I replied, not changing from my defensive stance.

"Spoken like a true king, you'll lead your people well. After all a worthy king would lead his people well & protect what he cares for without a second thought." I winced at that comment.

"Reikourin, you know that thing where you move your mouth & words come out? Yeah, you should really stop doing that."

"You're actually going to give me attitude now? What happened to the respect you had for me?" He laughed. "Was it not you who asked me to train you for the next match?"

"Just because I respect you doesn't mean that I won't tell you to shut your mouth when you say something that annoys me; which, incase you haven't noticed, you haven't done yet."

"Your mind has got to be one of the strangest things I have encountered in my time. Then again, how people respect each other & how it is earned has changed vastly over the past couple of millennia." The god lunged at me after his comment & I braced myself against the lash of the whip he manifested out of the vines nearby. The ground shook as my legs became encased in rocks of various sizes & my lungs craved oxygen as the air was continuously ripped from them & then blessed with them again. For the rest of the time I had spent training with him it had been all fighting without him holding back, using everything at his disposal to prevent me from flying, breathing, swimming, or even using my elemental capabilities. I was forced to train against him until I could outsmart him & trust me, outsmarting a god isn't easy.

_Present…_

Could all of those little things about me being a ruler actually have been advice? I mean, he'd say it in the most sarcastic ways because he knows how I feel about being "noble" & all that crap. But he'd also taunt me when we were fighting & I know that it WAS to tick me off & to keep my fighting no matter how tired I was. Cadence didn't try to provoke us, she didn't say too much of anything. She WANTED us to lose, yes. But there's no way she could be entirely sure about being able to go through with her plan. She had none of that 'cocky' swagger. She didn't want us to keep fighting; she didn't want us to gain more determination. If we fought her for an extended amount of time she'd get tired as well.

Keira & Melissa had paired up & were taking the fight to Cadence as Raziel & Patrick stood off to the side looking like they were preparing something. Rinalia seemed worried about me & was saying gentle words to me like "Everything's going to be fine" & "We can do this, you just rest", I couldn't help but smile at her, she barely knew me & yet she had my head in her lap & was acting like we had known each other for years, or like she was my mom or something.

"No." I coughed as I rolled myself off of her lap & forced myself into a kneeling position. Pain seared through me as I moved; whether it was a finger or a leg, moving made me feel like my limbs were being ripped off by something with a million teeth.

"_Looks like you finally stopped being lazy…"_ I sighed; I had expected Nexion to comment sooner or later.

"It's about time that I've started to take this whole situation more seriously because it's not like I'm going to be able to shun the responsibility much longer anyways." I grabbed my blades & stood up, staggering slightly. My mind was going numb from the pain & it was taking all my concentration to keep myself standing. I wanted to scream until I lost my voice.

"We can handle this Zephyren, you don't need to overexert yourself" Raziel attempted to reassure me & I noticed that the wind had been picking up speed around us & making it whistle but my feet were getting a little wet from water that was slowly flowing up onto the battleground.

"I like your plan but we have to all work together to get rid of her. So that means...that means we have to work together." I felt my wings appear again & I noticed that the pain was going away slowly. Whether it was from me getting used to it or if it was from something else I wasn't sure & at the moment I could care less…

**Rinalia's P.O.V**

The moment I saw Zephyren make his wings appear I changed into my hybrid beast form. My form is…strange, even by Zoanthrope standards. I am able to stand on my hind legs even though my body is that of a panther's but, I have golden wings spreading out of my back, just above my panther form's shoulder blades. I guess you could call me a Chimera of sorts. I lunged forward & grabbed his arm & tried to get him to bend to my will. I didn't want him to continue this fight; he was in too much pain as is. A dark aura spread across his body & he looked at me with pure white eyes.

"Your power to influence Nature...sorry, I mean human nature will not work on me Rinalia." His voice was double layered with Nexion's as he took flight towards the battle…

**CHAPTER 20 END!**

**Writer's Note: Unfortunately, due to event's that have happened in my personal life that involved those that created some of these characters I will not be continuing the story 'Eternal Rendering'. I thank all my readers/followers who have enjoyed this story thus far & I truly am sorry for being unable to continue this story. I hope you will read other stories that I am currently in the process of writing & that I have your continued support.**


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